Onwards
by ShainaNight
Summary: The Doctor and Amy are out to explore the universe together, but what with a newborn, River Song, and some old friends along for the ride, things are bound to get a little more interesting.  Sequel to Fountain of Youth.
1. Venusian Poppies

**Before anyone reads further, this is a sequel to 'Fountain of Youth', a previous fanfiction of mine. If you haven't read that first, this one might not make sense.**

**For those of you coming back, thanks for caring! Lol. This is more of an introductory chapter, hence the shortness, but I did slip in some fluff.**

**I don't own Doctor Who, obviously. If I did I would be both rich and a genius and that would be awesome but sadly it is not so.**

**Enjoy, please review :)  
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"Doctor. Doctor, can you hear me?"

A warm, heady breeze was ambling through the wild poppies, making them sway to and fro. In the midst of the flowers lay the Doctor and Amy, their limbs intertwined, wearing nothing but his tweed jacket draped over them.

"Doctor, you've been out there 'scouting' for hours. And the TARDIS readings are showing that those poppies are laced with a potent aphrodisiac. They'll make you love drunk; quite literally."

"Imagine that." The Doctor smiled and stroked the soft skin of Amy's arm. She lifted her head from his chest and looked at him with misty eyes.

"Maybe we should answer before she comes lookin' for us. You know how River is," she said in a pensive voice, feeling like she was floating on a cloud she didn't want to come down from just yet. The communicator transmitting River's voice rested among the poppies not far from them, the green answer button blinking expectantly.

"Come on, Doctor, I know you can hear me. Now stop messing around with your wife and get your Time Lord derriere back to the TARDIS, or so help me I will come out there and get you!"

"Told you," Amy said in a singsong voice.

The Doctor sighed and grabbed the communicator. "Alright, keep your shirt on. We're coming."

"Same to you," River replied knowingly before signing off.

The Doctor and Amy stood up and redressed, helping each other to speed up the process just in case River made true on her vow. "Amazing place, this. We should come to Venusia more often," the Doctor remarked.

"It does make a great anniversary spot, for future reference. Although I don't think River would be very fond of the idea," said Amy. The Doctor straightened the collar of her jacket, having difficulty keeping his hands from wandering. He grinned in response and slid his hand behind her neck, claiming her lips with his one last time before walking with her through the poppies back the way they had come.

It had been two weeks since they left Novus Lux. Over that time they had taken Martha and Mickey to their original destination—to defeat a group of aliens with an unquenchable craving for blood—and then to a few other interesting places of their choice. Venusia, a planet whose sky was constantly painted with breathtaking auroras, was a leisure destination known for its myths of poppy fields that affected your hormones. The Doctor and Amy knew for certain now that it was no myth.

"'Bout time," River noted as the couple appeared. She was standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised disapprovingly, taking in their rumpled clothing.

"Right, yes, so. Fields of poppies as far as you can see and that's it. No civilization past the resort," the Doctor said, clearing his throat and trying to look nonchalant.

"Convenient," said River, moving to allow them inside.

The Doctor coughed and began fiddling with the console, facing away from her, but her sharp eyes caught the delicate pink shade the tips of his ears were turning nonetheless.

"Where's Ian?" Amy asked, unable to keep the blissful look off her face.

"With Martha. That little devil's got her captivated," River answered, sitting down in a chair and flipping through a thick volume with ragged pages. It was an extra copy of the TARDIS manual that the Doctor was sure he had lost ages before, although whether on purpose or accident he didn't say. Whatever had happened, it was apparent the poor book had taken a beating. River was set on learning how to fly the ship, just in case there came a time when the Doctor wouldn't be on hand to do it.

Amy left the control room to go find her son, and the Doctor's gaze lingered on her figure appreciatively until she rounded the corner. What with River and Martha and Mickey on board and Ian's constant need for attention, it wasn't as easy for him to get alone time with her as it used to be. Not that he was complaining; he enjoyed the company immensely, even if it did lead to issues like the hot water getting used up when everyone decided they wanted to take a shower at the exact same time. It was also nice to have readily-available babysitters, whether they were willing or not. Usually they were, although sometimes only after they'd been handed the little heart stealer. But the Doctor had to admit that no one was better with Ian than his mother. He liked to stand just outside the nursery door when it was time for bed or a nap and watch her rock their boy to sleep, listening to her sing him into a stupor with that beautiful Scottish accent, her fiery locks brushing lightly against his face. He remembered, what felt like millenniums past, when Jenny had just been created from his DNA and he had bitterly told Donna that his paternal side had died long ago with his family. But that had been long ago, and he never would have thought that all it would take was this half-human newborn to reawaken the spark.

"Only two weeks old and he's already smiling responsively. That's something I haven't seen before, not even in the hospital," Martha said, entering the control room.

"The maturity rate's a little more advanced for Time Lords," the Doctor replied informatively, although he couldn't help feeling a touch of pride.

"He's got dimples and everything too. Makes me wish I had one of my own."

"Um, not quite yet though," Mickey spoke up, dropping the pink jelly baby he had been sniffing curiously.

"Yeah, probably not the best idea to have two in the TARDIS at once," added the Doctor hurriedly.

"Okay, I got it. Not like I was planning on it right now anyway. Men, honestly."

A ringing noise suddenly filled the room.

"What is that?" River asked, closing the manual.

"Telephone, of course. Haven't you heard one before?" The Doctor answered.

"Who would be ringing you?"

"Oh, lots of people and…person-like things. You get telephone calls, don't you?"

"Well yes, but I'm not a frankly rather odd Time Lord flying around in a police box time machine. There's a difference."

The Doctor ignored this and picked up the phone. River watched him as he conversed with the person—or person-like thing—on the other end but gleaned nothing about their identity from his answers. When at last he hung up, she said, "Well, who was it?"

"The American president, from the year 2173."

"And what did he want?"

"_She_ is having a bit of a problem. It seems the United States' children are slowly disappearing overnight."

"How'd she know how to contact you?"

"You know how governments are. They like to keep tabs. And it must be bad because I'm usually a last-resort option."

"So are we going or what?" Martha asked, intrigued by the mysterious problem.

"Might as well check it out." The Doctor smiled and threw a lever.


	2. Mrs President and the Darkness

**Sorry it took a little longer than usual for me to update. Stupid sinus cold interference.**

**Anyway, the Doctor's in the USA in this chapter. Finally, my territory :)**

**Thanks for reading, please review.**

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"Listen, I'm just going to pop in, figure out whatever's going on, and pop out faster than you can say 'where's he got to now?' It won't take long, I promise."

"But everyone else gets to come. Why do I have to be cooped up in here?"

"Because children are _disappearing_ out there, Amelia. I don't want that happening to ours." The Doctor brushed his lips against Amy's forehead and fondled the fuzzy head of the sleeping child in her arms. They were in the nursery, which was where the Doctor intended his family to stay, safe and protected by the TARDIS.

Amy pouted. "Oh come on, Doctor. I haven't seen twenty-second century Earth yet. And besides, it's daylight out there. The children go missing at night, yeah? So we should be fine as long as we're back before then."

"Better not chance it. Please, Amy."

Amy tried not to look right into his eyes, but she failed miserably. As blue and bright as a cloudless cerulean sky, they pleaded with her, and she sighed. "Alright. Just don't go getting into trouble."

"Nonsense! When do I ever do that?"

"Try every single day of your life." Amy pressed her lips to his a little roughly, as if to remind him of his reason to come back. A small groan escaped from his throat, and it took all of his willpower just to pull away.

"See you soon," he told her, his eyes twinkling as he turned and left the nursery.

"Mad," Amy muttered with a shake of her head. She looked down at Ian and lightly traced her finger over the curve of his nose and the pucker of his lips, knowing that he was bound to end up with one unique personality. It was in his genes, after all.

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The TARDIS had landed just inside the fence surrounding the White House. As soon as the Doctor, River, Martha and Mickey stepped outside of it, however, they were met by several Secret Service agents, who materialized on the spot with their submachine laser guns trained at the intruders.

"Whoa there, we're not armed! Never armed!" The Doctor said, raising his hands in the air as proof. His companions did the same.

"What business do you have trespassing on government property?" One of the suited men asked, not entirely convinced.

"We were invited personally by President Ava Washington," the Doctor answered.

"Washington?" River whispered.

"Lucky coincidence," the Time Lord responded. "Name's the Doctor, if you'd like to pass that on," he continued to the man who had spoken.

The agent narrowed his eyes at him and pressed a button on the communication device wired to his ear. After a few seconds of information being relayed back and forth, the man returned his attention to the Doctor, looking mildly disappointed. "You and your associates are to follow me," he ordered, motioning towards the stately mansion ahead of them. Without another word they did as they were told.

The President received them in the Blue Room. She was somewhere in her late forties, with a sharply cut salt-and-pepper bob, piercing hazel eyes, and frameless rectangular glasses. She stood straight as a pin against the curtained window, her gray suit jacket and pencil skirt so neat they looked like they had been ironed while she was still wearing them.

When the time travelers entered, the Commander in Chief strode forward and held out her hand. "So nice to meet you at last, Doctor," she said crisply. "I have heard much of you from our ally across the pond, as they say."

"Mostly good, I hope. Oh, but don't believe that bit about me being the cause of the bubonic plague. Henry the Eighth just made that up because he was cross after losing in a game of cards. Now, Ava, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine, River Song and Martha and Mickey Smith."

"A pleasure," the President said, shaking their hands in turn. "I'm so glad you came. I'm at my wit's end."

"What exactly is going on?" The Doctor asked, making himself comfortable on a modern, legless navy blue chair that hovered a foot or so off the ground: one of the many things in the old mansion that had been upgraded over the past one hundred and forty years.

"The problem is that I'm not really sure. There's something in D.C., something that comes out when it's dark. Not many have actually seen it, and those who have never live long enough to tell us what it is. We've tried everything."

"So it takes the children and kills anyone who tries to stop it. Why, though? What does it want with them?"

"I don't know. But I have a duty to my country to stop it, and so far I am failing."

"We'll help in any way we can," River promised.

Ava smiled. "Thank you." The woman moved over to the table in the middle of the room—which hovered in like manner to the chair—and picked up something from it. "Before his death, one of our agents was able to capture this photo. See what you make of it."

The Doctor took the photograph from her.

"It's a little blurry, isn't it?" Martha remarked, peering over his shoulder.

"Actually, it isn't. There's no such thing as low quality film in this century," the Doctor told her.

"Then what's all this?" Mickey asked, indicating the black smudge that filled the frame. It was interrupted by only one thing, something that glowed red and was shaped like an eye.

"That is the creature we're looking for," said the Doctor.

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Meanwhile in the TARDIS, Amy was bored out of her mind. She tried taking a nap but found she wasn't tired, and then reading, which was abandoned when she couldn't concentrate on the words. The silence was so loud it was deafening, and neither singing nor making an unusual amount of noise could fill it.

Finally she just gave up. She found a cloth baby sling amongst the many supplies in the nursery and tied it securely around herself, placing Ian inside of it. The slight movement made his eyelids flutter, and he looked at her curiously.

"Well it's not like he's going to know if we just have a look around. We'll be back before him anyway," Amy reasoned. Ian just yawned and went back to sleep.

Slowly but surely, the TARDIS door creaked open. Amy peeked through the opening and, after making sure the coast was clear, stepped outside. She took in everything around her, marveling at the Presidential dwelling that was still standing after hundreds of years. Behind her and a little away was a street; a pedestrian section of Pennsylvania Avenue unmarred by the hover cars that puttered in the distance.

When no one showed up to stop her, Amy walked across the lawn to the iron fence that separated her from the rest of the world. She reached out to wrap her hands around the bars and was surprised when they melted away under her touch. "So they've got holographic fences in the future. Yeah, there's a point to that," she noted with a chuckle.

Passing through the fence was a strange experience, but once she was on the other side, the lure of adventure pulled her down the Avenue. She closed her eyes and inhaled the tantalizing scent of freedom, letting her feet take her wherever they pleased. It must have been sometime in autumn, for the leaves of the trees were starting to turn burgundy and chestnut and amber, and there was a chill in the air that made her thankful for the pea coat she had decided to bring with her.

It wasn't until she reached a park that she realized she was attracting a few worried glances, mainly from one woman who, despite the dark circles under her eyes, looked only a few years older than her.

"You shouldn't be out here, miss. Not with your child, at least," the woman said gravely.

"But it's still light out," Amy responded, her hands wrapping instinctively around the bundle tied to her body.

"It doesn't matter with the younger ones. Mine was taken in broad daylight just last week. She was only six months old," the woman informed her, distress echoing in her voice.

Amy's blood ran cold. "I'm so sorry."

"Please, go back to wherever you came from. Just get out of here; it's more likely to attack in the open."

Amy wanted to ask what 'it' was, but the woman's furtive glances dissuaded her. She fell back and started walking the way she had come, her pace quickening. But she was already too late. The world was suddenly plunged into premature darkness, and a shrill screech filled the air. Amy fell to her knees, her hands clasped over her ears, the screech resonating in her head. When she looked up, it was to find herself staring into the snakelike red eyes of a great beast, a creature without a definite form. It w_as _the darkness.

"Don't even think about it, buster," Amy said threateningly.

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"What in the world? Wasn't it the afternoon just a second ago?" Martha commented, lifting a curtain and looking out the window.

"No, it can't be. Most of the children in D.C. have been evacuated," Ava muttered in alarm, racing to the window.

"Ava, what is it?" The Doctor questioned.

Ava looked at him with fear in her wide eyes. "The creature rarely attacks in the day, but there have been a few cases, and each time this happened. But everyone knows about the crisis."

A sudden sense of dread settled over the Doctor. "Amy!" he shouted before springing out of his chair and rushing out of the Blue Room. His friends and a very bewildered President followed him. When they caught up to him, it was on the rear White House lawn.

"She's not there," the Doctor said grimly, slamming the TARDIS door shut behind him. "_Why_ does she never listen to me? Do I just have a face that no one listens to?"

"Well she can't have gone far," River announced, beginning a search of the grounds.

The others did the same, shouting the girl's name repeatedly. Guessing correctly that his wife would have wandered much farther than the White House grounds, the Doctor passed through the holographic fence and took off down the Avenue, pushing through the disoriented crowds. He shouted her name over and over, well aware that precious time was once again slipping through his fingers.


	3. The Nightshade

**So you know what's tragic? Your laptop decided to freak out right when you don't have near enough money for a new one**. **On the plus side, my mom just got a Mac, and the laptop she used to use was just sitting under the bed getting dusty. It's in a little better working order than mine, and she's withdrawn custody from it, so hello functional laptop :)**

**Hope you like this chapter. Taking a little longer cause I honestly don't know how this adventure's going to pan out. But that's the fun of it :)**

**Reviews are awesome sauce.**

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The shadow creature had Amy backed up against a tree, with nowhere to run. A claw materialized out of the darkness, black and gleaming like a beetle's shell, and curled around the corner of the sling, pulling it down. Amy kicked it away, and the beast screeched again. More claws appeared and pinned her to the ground so that she couldn't move, cutting into the skin of her arms. She struggled against them regardless and bombarded the beast with every curse and threat she could think of, but it held fast, yet another claw tugging the sling open. Horror rushing through her, Amy watched as Ian looked up at the creature in wonder, not crying or showing any signs of fear at all. He wrapped his tiny hand around the monster's enormous claw, and to his mother's surprise it retracted as if it had been burned.

"Gallifreyan filth!" The hiss reverberated through the air, laced with shock and anger and something else: terror.

"Oi you, Nightshade! Back off!"

Amy craned her neck to see the Doctor running towards them, sonic screwdriver held aloft, its electric green light reflecting in the enormous red eyes looming in the black. The Nightshade screeched one last time and lunged into the air, taking the darkness with it. In an instant it was completely gone, the sun shining weakly in a cloudy sky once more.

"Amy!" The Doctor slid through the grass, green staining the knees of his pants. He brushed her red hair out of her face, along with a couple of stray leaves clinging to it. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, good," Amy replied, breathing heavily. She sat up and clutched Ian tightly to her chest, kissing the top of his head.

"No you're not," the Doctor said, pulling off her coat and inspecting the puncture marks the Nightshade had left behind. He gently touched one, and she sucked in her breath at the pain. "What were you thinking, Amelia? I told you it was dangerous out here! Both you and the baby could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think—I didn't know it would…"

At this point Amy's words caught in her throat, and she realizing tears were slipping down her cheeks. The Doctor shushed her and folded her into his chest, stroking his hand through her hair.

"It's alright. You're safe now," he murmured. He helped her up, still holding her close, and led her back towards the White House. Bystanders watched them in amazement, having never seen the Nightshade leave a child behind before.

"Amy! Is she okay?" River asked, taking Ian from her so she wouldn't have a strain on her back from the sling.

"She's fine, just a little roughed up. Martha, I'm going to need you to take a look at the injuries the creature left behind," the Doctor said.

"An examination from the real doctor. I like the sound of that," Martha responded with a grin.

"You're never going to quit rubbing that in my face, are you?"

"Don't really plan on it, no."

The little group soon gained a Secret Service escort, on account of Ava Washington's presence amongst them. Once back inside the White House, she offered them the Queen's Bedroom in the Executive Residence, where the Doctor forced Amy to lay down while they waited for a first aid kit to be brought to them by a member of the staff. When it arrived, Martha used the antiseptic from it to clean Amy's wounds and then bound gauze around them.

"The cuts weren't too deep. She should be right as rain in no time," Martha commented, snapping the first aid kit shut.

"Doctor, when the—Nightshade—tried to take Ian, something happened. Something made it pull away. And it spoke, too; it said 'Gallifreyan filth'. How did it know?"

The Doctor sank onto the bed beside her with a sigh heavy with the weariness of centuries. "Nightshades were one of the Time Lords' many enemies once upon a time. Later they almost went into extinction, and those who remained became servants of beings more powerful than they were. I thought they would have died out by now, but apparently not."

"But that means we're dealing with something worse than that—thing," Mickey deduced.

"Or something cunning enough to fool it into thinking it's more powerful. Nightshades aren't too bright a race."

"So who is this one working for? What could anyone want with so many children?" Amy wondered.

"Whatever it is it can't be good. And they're not going to get away with it," the Doctor said resolutely, watching lovingly as his son grabbed his hand and began sucking on his knuckle experimentally. The relief that he had lost neither this sweet boy nor the woman sitting on the canopy bed next to him could not be expressed in words. He didn't want to feel that pain again, after all these years, like a part of him had been torn out and cast away.

"Where do these Nightshades usually live?" River asked.

"Well, nowhere, essentially. And everywhere. Being without a defined form as they are, they live in the night and the shadows, and that spot at the corner of your eye where peripheral vision stops," the Doctor said.

"Must make them bloody hard to kill," Mickey mused.

"That's why my kind and theirs were always at war. It was too exciting of a challenge to just leave one another alone."

"So what are we supposed to do? We can't go chasing after shadows," Martha said, deciding to be the voice of reason.

"We capture it. And force it to take us to its master."

"Will that actually work?

"Most likely not. But there's no harm in trying."

"No harm in trying? Did ya see that thing, Doctor? It had sharp teeth and claws, and quite a few of them at that. And very foul breath, come to think of it," Amy pointed out.

"Right, does anyone have any better ideas?" When no one spoke, the Doctor continued. "Okay then. Now all we need is something to attract the Nightshade with."

"But it won't come after Ian again, now that it knows what he is. And Ava said there aren't many children left in Washington," Amy said.

"I have a…a son, my youngest, who is still here in the White House. He'll be twelve in December, but I believe this Nightshade would still go for that."

The Doctor looked at her uncertainly. "Ava, I'm not sure that's a good idea. There may be a chance we don't succeed."

"But there's just as much of a chance you will. It's our only option."

The Doctor shook his head. "Alright. We'll try tonight, out in front."

"Doctor, you said your people used to fight the Nightshades. Were you one of them?" Martha asked.

"Nah, I was always the one who ran and hid. This will be a first for me; should be interesting."

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"So you promise to stay put this time?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going to have to tell the TARDIS to lock you in?"

"Oh for goodness sake, Doctor. Wouldn't do any good, anyway. She likes me."

"Which is why she would do all in her power to keep you safe." The Doctor pressed his lips to Amy's forehead.

"Don't take too long now, because I will come after you if you do. Got it?" Amy said sternly. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest, listening to the steady thumps of his hearts.

"I wouldn't dare keep you waiting, Amy Pond. I learned my lesson the first time," the Doctor said into her hair.

"Good." Amy relinquished her hold on him and took Ian from River, who was waiting nearby. "Now, go get yourself that alien," she told him with a grin before closing the TARDIS door behind her.

The Doctor smiled and hefted a length of chains over his shoulder; something he had found in the TARDIS attic only moments before.

"Doctor, what exactly is that?" River asked, eyeing the silver links.

"Chains, of course. Made of pure Gallifreyan silver. Completely worthless in any respectable trading market, but rather useful against Nightshades."

"How?"

"Burns their skin, and keeps them from dispersing into shadows. The trick is getting it around his neck."

"Does it even have a neck?" Martha asked, remembering what she had seen of the creature when it was attacking Amy.

"Not entirely sure, but I suppose we'll find out, won't we?"

"Brilliant time to find out, right when the beastie is close enough to eat you," Mickey grumbled.

"Must we be so negative, Mickey? Really puts a downer on everything," the Doctor remarked as he started walking.


	4. Mrs Campbell

Surprisingly enough, Ava Washington's son, Grant, considered being Nightshade bait the highest honor. It most likely had to do with the possibility of getting to witness an epic monster takedown, and a monster from outer space no less. His mother hugged and kissed him—much to his dismay—a million times before she allowed him to leave with the Doctor and his companions.

"Nothing will happen to him, I promise. No one dies today," the Doctor told her fervently.

The President only nodded and watched anxiously as they crossed the front lawn towards the Ellipse, the sun slipping beneath the horizon and casting long shadows on the checkerboard-patterned grass. The Doctor kept his hand on the boy's shoulder the entire time, not letting him leave his sight even once.

"So are you some kind of intergalactic cop or something?" Grant asked, already impressed with the Time Lord.

The Doctor had a sudden flashback of a similar question asked to him by a certain pint-sized, redheaded Scottish girl, green eyes full of curiosity for the man who had fallen out of the sky. He smiled fondly at the memory. "Yeah, sort of. I'm the Doctor."

"Like a surgeon kind of doctor?"

Martha snorted.

"Erm, no, not exactly."

"Then why are you called that?"

"Because he goes around fixing the universe all the time," Martha chipped in.

"Cool." Apparently this was a good enough reason for an adolescent boy. "Mom said you were an alien. Are you from Mars?"

This time it was Mickey's turn to laugh, which he attempted to muffle behind his hand. The Doctor sighed.

"You humans, honestly. Hear the word 'alien' and the first thing that pops into your brains is 'Martian'. You lot really need to get out more."

"Then where are you from?"

It was a while before the Doctor answered, his eyes focused on the distant horizon. "A world that doesn't exist anymore," he said simply.

"Oh." Grant stopped the inquisition for the time being, sensing the Time Lord's sadness. No one spoke until they reached the edge of the Ellipse, which still boasted the National Christmas Tree, a Balsam Fir like the very first one that had ever stood in the circular park in 1923. This one, however, was scientifically enhanced to survive most damage and had a life expectancy thousands of years. It was beneath this tree that the party stopped, waiting for the Nightshade.

They weren't disappointed. All of a sudden the sinking sun completely disappeared, much quicker than it should have. The air grew chillier, more like a winter day than one in the fall, and a shrill screech echoed throughout the Ellipse. The Doctor took the sound as his cue and slipped behind the tree, while the others stood on the other side, encircling Grant.

A great, brutish head appeared out of the darkness, bearing the snakelike red eyes that could chill anyone to the bone. No one could decide if 'dragon', 'gargoyle', or 'snake' best described the Nightshade, so they just opted for all of the above.

"Foolishhh humansss. Ssssurender the child and no one getsss hurt," the beast said, his gigantic yellow teeth bared at them.

"Erm, we'd rather not, thanks," Mickey said, standing his ground despite the sheer fright he had for the creature.

"Ssssuit yoursssself." The Nightshade raised his claws over them, preparing to strike, but the Doctor was faster. Swinging the chain like a lasso, he tossed it where he presumed the neck to be. The Nightshade shrieked in surprise as the links grew taut, cutting into its leathery black skin and burning like white-hot coals.

"Everyone grab on!" The Doctor yelled as it tried to wrench away, screaming horribly. The others jumped into action, grasping the length of chain behind him and holding on for dear life. At last the Nightshade came hurtling down, its great head crashing to the ground, making the whole park shake as if by an earthquake. One of its eyes was still visible, and it stared unblinkingly at the Doctor, the hatred in it unmistakable.

"Ssstinking Time Lord filth. I ssshould have known that child's sssire would come back; your kind never can jussst ssstay away."

"Nice to see one of you again too. Now listen, you're going to take us to your master without giving us any trouble, understood?" Said the Doctor.

"Why would I do a ttthing like that?"

"Have you forgotten what's around your neck? In less than fifteen minutes it will cut straight through your flesh, and then where will you be?"

A touch of fear entered the brute's eye. "Very well. If you wishhh to perishhh like the ressst of your raccce, I am only too happy to oblige."

The Doctor slackened the chain a little, and the Nightshade rose. It let out a cry so high-pitched that everyone cringed. In response, the ground began to tremor once more, and the earth split, revealing a chasm in the rock below.

"Will you look at that. Genius," the Doctor muttered. He gripped the chain tightly and propelled himself up the side of the Nightshade, coming to rest behind the creature's neck. "Right, get on!" He called to his companions.

River turned to Grant, who had been watching the whole thing as if it were his favorite program on television. "Thank you so much for your help, Grant. You can go back to your mum now," she said, ruffling his sandy blond hair.

Although the boy looked disappointed—no doubt he would have liked to ride the shadow beast too—he did as he was told. "Good luck Mr. Doctor!" He called before heading back towards the White House. The Doctor waved cheerfully in reply.

"I'm not sure about this," Mickey said once River and Martha were already positioned behind the Doctor.

"Oh come on, you chicken. We don't have much time!" Martha yelled down to him.

"I know I'm going to regret this in the very near future." Mickey took hold of the chain and pulled himself up right behind his wife. He hugged her tightly, afraid he would fall off if he didn't.

"Geronimo!" The Doctor shouted gleefully as the Nightshade took off, plummeting into the abyss.

Mickey hollered the entire way down.

* * *

Amy woke up with a start and realized two things: one that she had fallen asleep with her head on the table after eating supper, and the second that someone was hammering on the TARDIS door. She groaned, rubbing the crick in her neck, and stood up, lifting Ian out of his infant seat. Then she went to discover who was making all the racket. She opened the door to reveal a young woman with short brown hair, a pointed face, and a khaki trench coat on her petite frame.

"Um, hallo. Can I help you?" Amy asked, wondering how she had gotten past the Secret Service. Ian started to choke on his own spit, and she put him over her shoulder, patting his back rhythmically.

"Is my grandfather here?" The woman asked, peering hopefully into the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"My grandfather. The Doctor." The woman looked Amy up and down. "Are you one of his companions?"

Amy stared at her in shock. "The Doctor's your grandfather?"

"Oh indeed." The young woman breezed past her, as if she felt right at home. "I must say though, when I took the first airship here from London after hearing about the children disappearing, I never expected to find the TARDIS. She's not the same as I remember, though."

Amy couldn't seem to get over her surprise. She knew she should have expected something like this—the Doctor was nine hundred and eight years old, after all—but how was she supposed to break it to her that this 'Grandfather' of hers looked no more than twenty-eight now, or that she was married to him? "Neither is the Doctor, then."

"Yes, I nearly forgot about that. Last I saw him he was on his fifth regeneration. Had a stalk of celery pinned to his lapel, although I can't imagine why. I'm Susan Campbell, by the way. Used to be Foreman." The young Time Lady held out her hand.

"Amy Pond." Amy shook it with her free hand.

"And this little fellow?"

"Ian."

"Really? I used to know an Ian; Ian Chesterton. He was my science teacher," Susan said gaily.

"Right. So, about the Doctor—"

"Oh yes, Grandfather. Where is he?"

"He went out after the thing that's been stealing the kids." Amy figured it wasn't exactly _vital_ that Susan knew who she was, at least not at the present moment. And there was a crisis going on.

"What? All by himself?"

"No, he's got some people with him."

"Humans?"

"Well, yeah."

"That's not going to be good enough. Not for what he's going up against," Susan muttered, heading towards the door.

"Hold your horses for a minute. Are you saying you know what it is?"

"Of course I do. Knew the second I heard about it. Doesn't the Doctor?"

"Nope, only about the Nightshade. Whatever it's working for is still a mystery."

"That's exactly like Grandfather. He always said history was more fun lived than read about. Otherwise he'd have known."

Without another word, the young woman sprinted out the door and across the black lawn.

"Okay then, you go ahead! I'll just be here, waitin'. As usual," Amy called after her. The adventurer inside her was prodding her to follow, but at that moment Ian started crying for his own supper. She sighed and closed the TARDIS door, taking him off to the nursery.

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**Yes, I brought Susan back, thanks to an idea inspired by NinjaGirlRebecca's comment. Hope it doesn't get too awkward for them lol.**

**Oh, and I thought I'd mention that I'm going on vacation to Florida this Wednesday, which will affect chapter posting a little. But I'll still have my laptop so it shouldn't be too bad. I apologize in advance if it takes a while.  
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**Anyways, hope you enjoyed, please review :)  
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	5. Old Enemies

**Okay, so I apologize for the absolutely scandalous amount of time that's passed between this chapter and the last. Apparently you don't have as much free time when you have a beach, pool, a huge mall, and family a very short distance from you lol.**

**On the plus side, I have successfully gotten my uncle hooked on series 5 of Doctor Who. He's seen a few of the old 60s and 80s episodes, but not the new ones. We watched four hours straight of it on his iMac, and he's as obsessed as I am now :)**

**Anyway, sorry again, and hope you guys like this chapter. Please review :)**

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The walls of the chasm curved out further down, creating a sort of underground hangar with a smooth stone floor. In the center of it was a spaceship, its streamlined design marred by corroding metal. The Doctor dismounted from the Nightshade, his companions propelling down after him, and approached the ship, marveling how such a thing could be hidden mere yards from the front porch of the home of America's President.

"You ever seen anything like it before?" River asked him.

"Perhaps. I've seen a lot of things in my time," the Doctor responded, intrigued by the ship. "Oh, I almost forgot." He turned to the Nightshade and removed the chains from around its neck.

The Nightshade regarded him with skeptical eyes. "You are not like the Time Lords I once knew," it said.

"Yeah I'm a bit of an oddball, or so I've been told," answered the Doctor with a shrug.

The creature bowed its head almost imperceptibly and, with one last screech, took off into the air.

"You're just going to let it go?" Martha said, a little surprised.

"Course. He's just a pawn in this game. Our beef's with the player." The Doctor replied. With that he set off towards the spaceship.

The ramp of the craft was lowered, leading up into a plain corridor with pristine-white walls. Beyond it were others, veering off in different directions and crisscrossing to create a sort of maze.

After ten minutes of wandering, River started to get a touch impatient. "Are you sure you know where you're going?" She asked the Doctor, who seemed to be choosing hallways at random.

"I'll have you know that Time Lords have a superb sense of direction," the Doctor told her, taking a sharp turn. "Ah, see? Doors! Doors are always good for something."

River shook her head. She went up to the first door and pressed the heat-sensitive pad next to it. The door slid smoothly into the wall, revealing what looked like some sort of extraterrestrial broom closet.

"Right. Next one then," said the Doctor optimistically. He pressed his fingers to the pad beside the next door, but it flashed red and refused to open. "Come on then. What are you hiding?" He muttered, fishing out his sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at the latch of the door. There was a shower of sparks, and the door reluctantly retracted into the wall.

"Dear God," Martha gasped.

Beyond was an immense chamber, the walls the same immaculate white as the corridors, rising into a conical dome. There was a hole in the ceiling that connected to a wide, cylindrical column, apparently serving as a power core. And hooked to it via a million wires were the missing children of America.

"What's wrong with them?" River asked, shaking the shoulders of the nearest child and receiving no response. His eyes were open, but glazed over, as if he were asleep. The wires were connected to a sort of crude metal helmet that was fastened to his head.

"Suspended animation, from the looks of it," the Doctor said.

"What's with the wires?" Mickey questioned.

The Doctor rubbed his chin, walking amongst the adolescents. "Well it seems that they're serving as a power source."

"A power source? Doctor, they're only children!" Martha said, horrified. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Someone who desperately wants to get off this abominable planet."

Everyone pivoted around to find a man standing there. He was old, with a long white beard and papery skin patterned with wrinkles. He was dressed in ebony clothes, a high collar framing his face, his sharp, slate-gray eyes staring at them calculatingly.

"Hang on," said the Doctor, his gaze sweeping over the man's attire with the same look in his eyes. "Dominator, am I right?"

"Affirmative. I am Marcello, ex-Navigator, to be specific."

"Ah, I knew something was familiar. Honestly, the collar does absolutely nothing for your neck. May I suggest the inclusion of a bowtie?"

"Doctor, who are the Dominators?" Martha inquired in a whisper.

"Something very not good indeed. They're a warlike species I stopped from burning a planet for fossil fuels once."

It was Marcello's turn to be surprised. "Well well, Doctor. Your name has been used as a curse for centuries amongst my people."

"Is it now? I am truly honored," said the Doctor, grinning. "What I want to know is, if you want to leave this planet, why not drain it for fuel?" Before Marcello could answer, the Doctor did it for him. "But you can't, can you? It's been a while since you crash-landed here, and your ship was already falling apart before then. You don't have the proper equipment to drill into the Earth's core."

"I have found an alternative," Marcello announced a little proudly, indicating the children.

"How's that supposed to work then? Why not hook just anyone up to the power—thing?" Mickey asked.

"Because children are practically bursting with unbridled energy and potential. They haven't had time to narrow their minds, or to put up shields against the world. They're completely unprotected," the Doctor figured out.

"Quite right, Doctor. The perfect power source, if you can collect enough of them."

"But the voltage will fry their brains. Like a light bulb fizzling out," the Doctor countered.

"Property damage," Marcello said dismissively.

"So you would kill all of these little ones just to get your spaceship in the air. Do Dominators not have children of their own?" River said in disbelief.

"Our children are trained from birth to fight. These weaklings are nothing like them."

"Martha, no!" The Doctor grabbed his friend before she could lunge at the alien. "Fighting is exactly what he wants. It's the only thing he knows. You cannot give him the satisfaction."

"But all these children, Doctor. He's just going to murder them!"

"Not while I'm here," The Doctor reassured. "Now, Marcello, perhaps we can settle this a simpler way. I happen to have a craft that could easily tow yours back up into space. It would save you quite a bit of trouble."

"Dominators do not accept help from Time Lords. You may leave now."

"I'm afraid we can't do that. Not until you let the children go."

Marcello sighed. "I gave you a chance, Doctor, and you would have been wise to take it." The man clapped his hands, and a robot moved mechanically into the room behind him. It had a rectangular metal body with four arms that ended in grabber-like claws and a spherical head that was divided into octants. Just like the ship, however, the metal was rusting in places, and its movements were erratic, as if it needed a tune up.

"Blimey, you lot still have Quarks working for you? Thought they would have rebelled or something by now. It's not exactly a very fair alliance, is it?" The Doctor commented.

Marcello ignored him. "Quark, fire at will!" He ordered.

"Move!" Shouted the Doctor, pushing his companions out of the way. They narrowly missed the destructive blast that shot out from the Quark.

"Okay. What now?" River asked, raking her unruly curls out of her eyes, peering around the column that hid them all. The Quark ceased fire for a moment, having been programmed not to harm the power core.

"Don't know. Working on it," the Doctor said, his eyes roving the chamber for something to use against the robot.

"Oi there, Quark!"

The Quark turned around to find Susan standing in the doorway, an antique looking glass in her hands.

"No, it can't be," the Doctor murmured.

"Doctor, who is she?" Martha asked, looking at the young woman curiously.

"My granddaughter."

Mickey looked the Time Lord up and down. "You've got a granddaughter?"

"Well he is nine hundred years old. It's not that surprising," River remarked.

There was a sudden pinging sound as the Quark fired on Susan. She lifted the mirror, and the blast hit the glass and rebounded on its source. It ripped through the robot's rectangular middle, making it keel backwards and hit the floor with an echoing thud. Susan smiled and slipped the mirror back into her trench coat, where not even the smallest trace of a bulge could be seen to indicate that it was there.

"How dare you!" Marcello shouted angrily.

The Doctor edged out from behind the power column, his eyes set on his granddaughter as if she might evaporate into thin air. It had been several regenerations since he'd seen her, after all, and he hadn't been sure she was even still alive. "Susan?"

Susan studied him, fascinated by his new appearance. "Grandfather? Is it you?"

The Doctor nodded, at a loss for words.

"Not so fast, mister," River announced, her eyes catching the movement of Marcello pulling a gun-like weapon from his belt. She quickly retrieved her blaster—brand-new and gleaming silver—and pointed it at the alien.

"It seems we are at an impasse, Marcello," the Doctor noted lightly, coming up behind River.

Marcello's hand was shaking slightly. It was clear that he hadn't handled a weapon in a good while. The Quark and the Nightshade had done all his dirty work for him.

They stood there for a minute or so, River's arm never wavering. At last Marcello let his gun fall out of his hand. It skittered across the floor and came to rest at River's feet.

"On my planet, it is illegal to surrender. I would be disgraced if they knew of this," the Dominator said, looking more like a tired, aged man than a vengeful warlord at the moment.

"Don't worry, old chap. I won't tell a soul," the Doctor told him with a smile.


	6. Awkward Teatime Moments

**So I'm back home at last in good ole Tennessee. Florida vacations are nice, but I can only take so much of super hot weather and flat land. Mountains and actual fall weather are so much better.**

**Anyway, chapters shouldn't be so far apart now. This is more of a filler, but I hope you enjoy reading it anyway.**

**Please review :)**

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"So how did you know that the one responsible for the disappearance of the children was a Dominator?" The Doctor asked his granddaughter. They were walking up the stone incline that served as a pathway to above, heading towards the TARDIS. The children that had formerly been wired up to the Dominator ship were stumbling along behind them in a disoriented daze, not quite sure what had happened to them or where they were. Martha and Mickey had volunteered to stay on the ship—or rather, Martha volunteered for Mickey—after Marcello had voiced his suspicions that the Doctor would attempt to trick him.

"Using children as fuel when there is no other alternative is a well-known Dominator method. Surely you learned that at some point."

"Yes, well, I've been busy. Must have missed it somehow."

Susan grinned and shook her head. "I just can't get over this new face of yours. This is the youngest I've ever seen you," she said, surveying him.

"Let's see, it's been, what, nine years for you? Since we defeated the Daleks and Robomen," the Doctor asked, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Sounds about right."

"The Earth's done a spot-on job recovering from the invasion, all things considered. How's David?"

"He's well. Farming suits him."

"Glad to hear it."

"So what's happened since celery-in-the-lapel?"

"Oh, quite a bit." The Doctor wasn't sure how to sum up everything that had transpired since his fifth regeneration. "I've been through six faces since you've seen me last."

"That is quite a bit." Susan chuckled. They were rounding the White House now, unhindered by the Secret Service on Ava Washington's orders. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Susan." The Doctor reached out and patted her on the back, relieved when she didn't flinch away. "By the way, there's something you might want to know before—"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor didn't have time to react. All he saw was a streak of red before Amy launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him as if he hadn't been gone only a few hours.

River cleared her throat loudly, noticing Susan's shocked expression.

"Um, Amy, this is Susan Campbell, my granddaughter. Susan, this is my—er—wife, Amelia," the Doctor introduced, finally managing to unlock Amy's lips from his.

"Yeah, we've met," Amy said, untangling her legs from him and wishing she had bothered to look at who he was with before attacking him. The Doctor's face was burning.

"You got married again?" Susan said, trying not to look so astonished. The high tone of her voice gave her away, however.

"Er, yes. I mean, it has been centuries since…ahem." The Doctor glanced sideways at Amy. He had decided long before that he wasn't going to mention Susan's grandmother in front of her. He didn't want her to become jealous of someone who had been dead for ages.

"So that little boy—the baby from earlier—that's my uncle?" Susan realized.

"Something like that, yes."

"Goodness."

"We should probably get going, Doctor. We don't need Marcello thinking you went back on your word," River prodded, breaking the awkward silence.

"Right. Into the TARDIS everyone!"

Susan and River went in first, but Amy lagged behind with the Doctor. "You could have told me you had a granddaughter," she said pointedly.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to burden you with my past," the Doctor told her.

"It's not a burden. As long as I'm the only wife you have right now I'm good."

The Doctor smiled and kissed the top of her head before entering the TARDIS.

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As the old blue box lifted off the ground, Ava Washington watched from the window of the Oval Office with Grant at her side, silently thanking the man who steered it.

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Grant asked his mother.

"Well we do have his number. Next national crisis I'm sure he'll be there," Ava replied, her hand on her son's shoulder, aware how close she had been to losing him.

"Awesome."

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Towing the Dominator ship back to the stars didn't take long after the TARDIS at last managed to wrench the craft free of the rock where it had been sitting for decades. Once they were above the stratosphere, the Doctor released the tow cable. The engines on Marcello's spaceship flared to life, the exhausts burning white-hot as it receded into the distance. Those who were onboard the TARDIS watched it until it disappeared completely.

"So how about a cuppa then?" The Doctor announced, rubbing his hands together.

Martha, Mickey, River, Susan, and Amy found themselves sitting around the kitchen table, drinking a calming, seaweed-green tea that had been a gift from a spice trader native to the planet Catai. Amy was just wondering why most awkward moments happened during teatime when she heard Ian's faint cry over the baby monitor that the TARDIS had managed to dig up for her.

"Excuse me," She said, pushing her chair away from the table and rising to tend to him.

"I'll come with you, if you don't mind," said Susan, standing up.

"Um, okay." Amy couldn't find a reason for her not to, so together they headed for the nursery. "Shush, little man. I've got ya," she said softly, lifting her son out of his cradle and rocking him until he quieted down.

"So how did you meet my grandfather?" Susan asked curiously, stroking Ian's cheek.

Amy sat down in the wooden rocking chair, realizing there was no escaping this conversation. "I was seven when I first laid eyes on him. The TARDIS crashed into my aunt's garden shed behind our house, right after his last regeneration. He ended up raiding my kitchen." Amy rested her head against the padded back of the chair, remembering. "I thought he was a policeman who'd come about the crack in my wall. He got rid of it for me, but then something happened; something about engines phasing on the TARDIS. He promised he'd only be five minutes. He did come back, but he miscalculated by twelve years, and then by two after a second trip. I was so angry with him." The corner of her mouth turned up, and she ran her fingers through the baby's hair, loving the way he sighed at her touch. His tired eyelids were beginning to droop again. "To make up for it, he took me across the universe, showing me so many things I never imagined could even exist."

Susan sat down on the ottoman across from her, chin resting in her hands, listening with a dreamy expression on her face. She had always been a bit of a romanticist.

"It wasn't intentional; I just fell in love with him. He didn't believe it would work, though, and who could blame him? He was a nine-hundred-year-old alien who never aged, I was a twenty-one-year old human. But then we visited the Fountain of Youth, and I drank from it without realizing what it was. My body clock stopped that day. I wasn't normal anymore."

"When he left me here on Earth, I feared he was dooming himself to a life of being alone. I'm glad to see he found someone to share all this with," Susan said, referring to traveling in the TARDIS.

"Does it bother you? Him being so young and me and the baby," Amy asked.

"Well I admit it was a shock at first, but I'm getting used to it. I rather like having you as a relative," said Susan with a grin.

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**Catai- alternative name for China that I liked the sound of.**

**I admit I didn't watch the episodes where Susan gets left on Earth with David, or all of the one where she meets future versions of her grandfather. I'm relying mostly on Wikipedia for plot information, so I apologize if something doesn't correlate properly. For instance I read that the Doctor finds a calendar marked 2164 in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, so I had to go back to the first chapter of this and change the year to 2173 instead of 2150. Sorry about that.  
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	7. Departures and Impending Arrivals

"Are you sure you don't want to take the TARDIS for one last spin?"

Susan looked up at the time machine longingly, but then shook her head. "Thank you, but no. My place is here now. With David," she told the Doctor. He nodded understandingly, and they embraced for the very last time.

"So. It was nice meeting you," Amy said a bit formally, holding out her hand. Susan bypassed the gesture entirely, pulling both the girl and Ian into a warm hug. "Make sure you keep an eye on this little fellow. If he's anything like his father he's going to be a handful," she said.

"I kinda figured on that," Amy replied, her eyes sparkling as they settled on the Doctor.

The others said their own farewells, and then Susan went her own way, riding off in a hover cab en route to the airport. The Doctor watched until the cab turned a corner and disappeared from sight, his thoughts bittersweet.

As they were walking back to the TARDIS, Mickey nudged Martha and gave her a meaningful look.

"Must we tell him now?" Martha said in a low voice, hoping they were far enough behind the Doctor that his sharp hearing wouldn't catch their words.

"It can't wait any longer, Martha. You know that," Mickey answered.

"What can't wait?" The Doctor asked, stopping and spinning around to face them. The husband and wife looked at each other.

"Mickey and I were talking about getting off here too. Not that traveling in the TARDIS isn't great and all, it's just we've got some business here—just got the call—and, well, we feel…"

"It's time. I understand," the Doctor said with a smile, although it was a strained one.

Martha smiled and hugged him, rubbing his back reassuringly. "Hey, maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime. I promise we won't forget you," she told him.

"Thanks for the ride, mate," said Mickey, shaking the Doctor's hand.

"Make sure you be careful, then. No getting yourselves killed, got it?"

Martha chuckled. "We'll do our best," she promised. Mickey took her by the hand, and together they headed back towards the street to hail a cab.

"Oi there, don't forget you've still got us," Amy chided, tapping the Doctor's shoulder. He turned and looked at his wife, who was expertly keeping their child's fussing at bay. Only months before she hadn't known the first thing about raising a kid, much less one that was half Time Lord. And then there was River Song, the woman who had been a mystery for so long, now so tightly knit into their family it was if she was actually related to them.

"Yeah, I suppose we do make a pretty smashing team," the Doctor said with a grin, wrapping his arms around their shoulders as they continued on to the TARDIS.

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_The screaming echoed down the corridor, making him run faster even though he knew he wouldn't make it. The corridor was growing darker, closing in on him, unwilling to let him reach his destination. His hearts were beating a frantic staccato against his ribcage._

"_Grandfather! Grandfather! Grandf—"_

"_Susan!" He shouted, but he knew by how the cry was so quickly cut off that he was too late. He heard more screams further down the hall, these sounding like they belonged to Martha, and started running again, only to hear them silenced before he could even figure out where she was. It went on like this for a while: Mickey, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, all their shouts begging him to save him fading into echoes, torturing him. He dropped to his knees, head in his hands, the walls pressing in._

"_Doctor?"_

_He looked up to see her standing there, dressed all in white, beautiful ginger hair framing her concerned face._

"_No…Amy, you've got to get out of here," he said, standing up._

_Her innocent, doe-like eyes looked at him with confusion. "Why?"_

"_Please, just run!" He told her urgently, but to no avail. A blade suddenly sprouted from her chest, and she gasped in surprise, blood flowing freely from the wound._

"_NOOO!"_

_He caught her as she fell, cradling her against his chest, her blood staining his clothes._

"_No, please. Amy, you've got to hold on, you have to!"_

_She only stared at him, the light dying from those magnificent green eyes. "You said you were going to keep me safe," she whispered before taking one last shuddering breath._

_Racking sobs rose in his throat. He clutched her lifeless form closer, rocking back and forth, tears slipping down his cheeks, never wishing for death more than at that moment. A moving shadow caught his eye, and he looked up at a towering, faceless being, merciless black eyes glittering in the dark, a crimson-stained silver sword in hand. He didn't speak, but his arm swept out to the side, gesturing. Beneath his tattered black sleeve lay Ian, eyes shut, bruises circling a neck that bent at an odd angle—_

The Doctor woke up with a start, chest heaving and a sheen of sweat covering his body. He glanced around quickly and exhaled in relief when he saw Amy curled up against him, her side rising and falling with every breath she took. Very gently he brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek. Then he slowly slid away from her and got out of bed, his feet padding softly on the floor as he crossed the hallway into the nursery. He felt a great deal better when he found Ian alive and well also, his tiny fingers curled around his blue blanket.

The boy's father leaned on the side of the cradle, drained of his usual endless energy. This wasn't the first night he had dreamt of those closest to him dying. The nightmares had been plaguing him for months; ever since Susan, Martha and Mickey had gone their own separate paths. They worried him so much that most nights he just laid there wide awake, fighting the urge to sleep for even an hour.

The Doctor sighed and returned to his and Amy's room. He settled back down beside his wife and enveloped her tightly in his arms, one leg hooked around hers. She made a contented noise in her sleep, her body edging nearer to his. Breathing deeply, he allowed his eyelids to slide shut, knowing from experience that the nightmare wouldn't return to haunt him until the following night.

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"Come on, Amy! You've been in there for ten minutes now," the Doctor said loudly through the door.

"There are between eight and nine other bathrooms in this place depending on the day, ya know. I counted," Amy shot back. She was sitting on the cold tile, staring at a small object in her hands, waiting.

"Yes but this happens to be the only one with a heated toilet seat."

"Oh for goodness sake, just hold it for a bit." At last what Amy had been waiting for appeared: a pink plus sign. She leaned her head back against the sink pedestal and sighed. Darned poppies.

"Going on eleven minutes here, Amelia."

Amy stuffed the test strip deep into the trash and stood up. She decided right then not to tell him, at least not until right before he started to figure it out on his own. Ian was enough to handle as it was; at three months old he was already crawling and getting into everything he shouldn't. He had taken to teething on his father's bowties, something the Doctor wasn't at all pleased with. Amy didn't mind in the least—she told him it was better than the sonic screwdriver, which hadn't looked the same since the baby had gotten his miniature yet surprisingly destructive hands on it.

"Alright, alright!"

The door swung open, and the Doctor, who had been partially leaning on it, just about fell into the room.

"It's all yours," Amy said, patting his cheek and sweeping off before he had a chance to ask her what she had been doing for so long.

"Women," he muttered, closing the door behind him.

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**What can I say, I like the idea of more Doctor/Amy kids running around the TARDIS lol.**

**Also, just a reminder that that Ian is part Time Lord and therefore a little more advanced, which is why he's crawling and teething as early as 3 months. Just so it doesn't get confusing.**

**One more thing. Dream sequences are fun to write, although I don't know why.**

**Okay, I'm done now.  
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**Thanks for reading, please review :)  
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	8. Terror at the Science Fair

**My apologies for the lateness of this. Work decided to consume my life all of a sudden. Evilness.**

**Hope you like this chapter, reviews awesome as usual! :)**

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"Ian, get your wee hiney back here!" Amy ordered. As usual her son ignored her, chortling mischievously as he crawled towards a box of the Doctor's odds and ends and thingamabobs, his diapered bum waggling in the air. His mother reached down to grab him, but just as she was bending over a pain shot through her abdomen all the way to her back. She inhaled sharply and dropped into a crouching position on the floor, arms wrapped around her middle as she waited for the new baby to stop moving. This distracted Ian from the dastardly plans he had for his father's box of things with no apparent use, and he sat down on the spot, his round green eyes watching her.

Amy hadn't thought there could be any child more lively than Ian had been in the womb, but this newcomer was determined to prove her wrong. It couldn't have been very big—her stomach was only just starting to bulge out, and in a way that could still be concealed by the gaining-weight-from-too-much-Belgian-chocolate excuse—yet it was already exploring the boundaries of its temporary home. And those itty bitty limbs were painful, especially when they jabbed into Amy's side without warning. So far she'd been able to hide it, biting down on her tongue whenever she needed to, but it was getting more difficult. There were only so many sweatshirts and jackets she could wear that kept anyone from getting suspicious, and avoiding warm-weather places, locations that would involve more revealing clothes, when the others really wanted to go was a hassle.

"Amy? Are you okay?"

Amy stood up like a streak of lightning, crossing her arms and trying to assume a mask of innocence. "Fine! Yeah, just been…chasing Ian all day and thought I'd stop for a second and rest. He's tirin' me out," she said.

River mirrored her by crossing her own arms. One eyebrow was raised in a way that suggested she saw right through the girl's act. "You don't have to cover it up around me, Amy."

Amy's hand rested on her belly, which she could just feel through her red sweater. It was the same one she had been wearing when they had visited the crash site of the Byzantium, its enormity making it the most useful disguise she had. "Is it that obvious?" She asked.

"Not quite yet, at least not to clueless men like the Doctor. But I'm a woman. And besides, the TARDIS told me."

Amy glanced up at the ceiling and glared. The machine was conveniently silent. "Please don't tell him," she begged River.

"Oh I don't plan to. That's your job. Question is, why haven't you done it yet?"

"I don't know. It's just, the Doctor's a dear and all, but the way he was when I was pregnant with Ian—I'm just not ready for that yet. I've still got places I want to see."

"I remember you genuinely needing all that help last time. This isn't a smart idea, Amy."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt when the Doctor bounced through the front door of the TARDIS.

"So, who wants to go to a science fair?" He said excitedly.

"Like at a school, yeah?" Amy asked, picking up Ian and placing him on her hip.

"Precisely. Ian, _please_ do not use that as a dummy. It might be an important part to the TARDIS once I…figure out where it goes," the Doctor said, momentarily distracted whilst he removed the screw-like object from his son's grip. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, the fair. Well, out there in 1965 London, just a block down from us, there's a secondary school with a science fair in full swing. I popped down there for a little look-see, and I think there's something you might find interesting."

"Are you going to tell us what it is?" River questioned, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Nope. Now come on!" The door swung shut with a bang as the Doctor exited.

"Oh he just loves to leave us hanging," River said with a shake of her head.

"Mhm," Amy responded, only half-listening as she strapped on Ian's baby carrier. Unlike his old sling, it bound him facing-out to her chest, just above the bump in her stomach. Although she wasn't fond of the strain it added to her back, it did help with her camouflage.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" River said, watching.

"'Course. You comin'?"

River sighed and followed the girl outside, making a mental note to keep an eye on her.

* * *

The secondary school was located in a stately brick building, its grounds fenced in by an iron gate. The Doctor, Amy and River took the same way the crowd was going and wound up in the school's gymnasium, where the science fair was being held. Schoolchildren of a wide age range were setting up their exhibits all around them. The Doctor maneuvered between the many folding tables, somehow managing not to disturb the homemade projects upon them.

"Ah, here we are. What do you see?" He asked as he stopped abruptly, crossing his arms and propping his chin on his knuckle.

Amy followed his gaze to an Asian boy, probably no more than thirteen, with jet-black hair and sharp, dark eyes, his skin china-white. He was setting up what appeared to be a simple baking soda and vinegar volcano display, although everything looked unusually neat. He had even used a tasseled, velvet tablecloth to hide the plain table beneath.

"Um, an overachieving science nerd?" Amy said, trying to use her eyes like the Doctor had told her on so many occasions but failing to see anything more.

"Appearances are not always what they seem, Amelia. Watch him."

Amy did. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first, but the longer she observed him, the more she began to notice things. The boy's movements were smooth and fluid, as if every motion was calculated, and not at all like a child his age. His eyes were also emotionless, his lips set in a thin, unsmiling line. Whenever someone addressed him, his response was either terse or not given in the first place.

"He's not human, is he? I've never seen a human boy act like that," River spoke up.

"My thoughts exactly," the Doctor replied. He sidled up to the boy, hands clasped behind his back. "Hello there, young man. That's a lovely volcano model."

"It's not a model." The boy's voice was a surprise, sounding years older and as emotionless of his eyes.

"I'm sorry?"

The boy became tightlipped once more.

"How about a name, then?"

No answer.

"Alright, would you be opposed to being called Bob?"

The boy seemed to find this an insult, for his face went livid. "Bai." He said harshly.

"Well what do you know, I wasn't too far off the mark. Now, Bai, would you mind telling me what your exhibit is?"

Bai was apparently done talking, however, for all the Doctor got in reply was a glare.

"Real conversationalist, this one," Amy muttered to River.

"Excuse me, do I know you?"

Another spectator seemed to have taken interest in the boy as well, a balding man who looked like he might have been quite muscular at one point in his life before letting himself go to seed.

"I don't believe so." Bai's jaw was set, a frosty note in his tone.

"Bai Wu! That's who you look like. But you can't be…we were schoolmates, a long time ago," the man said.

"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else." With that, the strange boy turned back to his volcano.

The man shook his head and walked off, leaving the Doctor and his companions to puzzle over the odd encounter. They were forced to wait until the judging of the exhibits, however, before any answers could be gleaned.

A stuffy, professor-looking fellow with a clipboard walked between the tables, two other teachers with pleasanter expressions on their faces at his heels. They examined each exhibit in turn, asking questions and making notes on their clipboards. When they reached Bai, it was clear that none of them expected what looked like nothing more than a paper mache volcano to impress them.

"I must say I'm a little surprised at your choice of a science project, Bai. Your work is usually a bit more…first-rate," the professor remarked, peering down at him over his spectacles.

For the first time, Bai's lips split into a smile. "I think you'll find it rather…illuminating once you see what it can do, sir. Allow me to demonstrate."

Bai pressed a button on the side of the volcano, still grinning. There was a noise like a machine whirring to life, and suddenly a beam of bright, red-hot light exploded from the volcano. Several people gasped as it collided with the ceiling, shattering it easily and sending plaster raining down on the shocked crowd. That's when the screaming began.

"OUT!" Shouted the Doctor, although Amy and River needed no encouragement. They ran for the door, dodging falling ceiling debris and terrified people who were making their own mad dash for any available exit.

But just as making it out unharmed looked to be a sure thing, one of the light fixtures from the gymnasium ceiling came hurtling down. It struck Amy's temple, and she crumpled.

"No!" The Doctor cried, diving to catch her. To his dismay, she was unresponsive, blood trickling from the gash in her forehead. Ian was screaming his own outrage at the situation, and River quickly removed both him and the carrier from her and held the child comfortingly against her breast.

"Back to the TARDIS. Now." The Doctor didn't waste time. He scooped Amy up and set off at a run, River right behind him. Once outside they heard the wail of sirens approaching, which only spurred them on to avoid being detained.

Inside the TARDIS, all exterior noise faded away. The Doctor raced immediately to the medic bay and laid Amy on the gurney, his hearts pounding out that staccato rhythm from his dream. As he worked on her injury, he found himself mentally repeating _not now, not now, not now_ in time to the beat. River watched worriedly, Ian still cradled in her arms as he would not allow her to put him down.

At last, a good two hours after the wound was cleaned, stitched up, lathered in balm, and bound with a bandage, Amy's eyes fluttered open.

"Doctor, she's awake!" River called, having been appointed sentry while the Doctor searched for a proper blanket to tuck around his patient.

The girl groaned and looked around, her vision focusing.

"Amy, how do you feel?" Her watcher inquired.

"I have got the _worst_ of killer headaches," said Amy, pressing her fingertips to her temple. She looked back up at River and her son, her gaze curious. "Um, River? Why are you holding a baby?"

* * *

**NOTE- I figured pacifiers might be called something different over in England, so I looked it up and was surprised to find the variation 'dummy'. Here in the USA we'd just call it a pacifier, or paci. Or, if you're in certain places in the South, a fuller (personally that one never made sense to me either). Anyway, kinda interesting.**


	9. Amnesia

River's smile faltered. "What do you mean, 'a baby'?"

"What else? I wake up to someone holding a random baby in my room and I'm not allowed to question where it came from?" Amy suddenly looked around, a little puzzled. "Hang on, this isn't my room. We're still on the TARDIS though, right?"

River was quickly losing her color. "But you know me. You said my name."

"'Course I know you. Although…you're younger than last I saw you, and how'd you get on board the TARDIS again? What in the world did I sleep through?"

"Amy!" The Doctor appeared in the doorway with a blue plaid flannel blanket, looking much relieved to find her awake.

River jumped in before he could say anything else. "Doctor, we have a problem. I think she's lost some of her memory."

"Nonsense. Amy, what's your full name and age?"

"Are we honestly going to do this?"

"Might as well check."

Amy sighed. "Fine. Amelia Jessica Pond, twenty one."

"See, River? Right as rain."

River rolled her eyes. "Amy, who is this?" She asked gently, sitting Ian up.

Amy frowned. "Well how am I supposed to know that? You haven't told me yet."

The Doctor and River exchanged glances. The Doctor sat down beside his wife on the bed, taking her hand in his. "What's the last thing you remember, Amy?"

The girl's face screwed up in concentration. "Something about…Rory. After what happened at the Fountain of Youth. I said goodbye to him, then came back and went to sleep. But this isn't the room I fell asleep in."

"She must have a concussion." The Doctor surmised. He wrapped his other hand around hers and squeezed them. "Listen, Amelia, because this is very important. It's been more than a year since you left Rory. We've been traveling in the TARDIS all that time, and we're—erm—we're married. Have been for a while now."

Amy just gaped at him like he was crazy. "You two are pulling my leg."

"No Amy, we're not," River said.

"Either that or you've lost your minds. Next you'll be telling me that's our child."

River didn't need to say anything; her eyes spoke for her. She held Ian out towards her to take, and he gurgled happily, his stubby little fingers stretching out for his mother.

"Oh no. No way," Amy said, gulping and sliding away.

The Doctor grabbed Amy's left hand and brought it up in front of her eyes. "Look at it, Amy. That mark represents a wedding band. Notice it's identical to mine." His tone was pleading, his desperation increasing. If she couldn't remember what was between them, it would be nearly as bad as losing her altogether.

She was breathing heavily now, her eyes wide, her brain searching for meaning to his words but finding only an empty gap. It frightened her. "No, we couldn't have. You're the Doctor; you're a Time Lord. My imaginary friend," she murmured, her attempt at a smile failing. She tried to pull away.

"Maybe we should let her have a lie-down. See if it all comes back to her later," River suggested.

"By then she might lose her chance to remember at all. What we need is a trigger." Without warning the Doctor pressed Amy to him, his lips diving determinedly for hers. But before he even had a chance to make contact, she shoved him away, causing him to fall off the bed and onto the floor.

"What the devil is wrong with you?" She shouted at him before taking flight from the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

River went around the bed to where the Doctor was sprawled out on the rug, looking as if his hearts had just been brutally torn from his chest. "You should probably go after her. If she does have a concussion, she could suffer a relapse and end up in a coma," she told him.

"But she won't listen to me, let alone allow me near her."

"Well she's going to bloody have to, what with her being—" River cut herself off just in time, but the interrupted comment did not go unnoticed.

"Her being what?" The Doctor jumped to his feet, suddenly alert.

After a brief internal battle, the woman decided her promise to Amy was now void considering the situation. "Well, you see…she's pregnant again, Doctor. And it appears she doesn't even remember that."

The Doctor dropped onto the bed again, looking as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him. "No, not this soon…are you positive?"

"Most certainly. I'm surprised at you, Doctor. Thought you noticed everything."

"Yes, well, I do, just some things, you know…I've been busy."

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with?"

"Pretty much."

"Men really aren't that different no matter what race they're from, are they?" River placed Ian in the Doctor's arms and took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Right, I'm going to go talk to her. Hopefully this is just one of those short term deals."

* * *

Amy burst through the door of her old room, seeking a sense of familiarity. Everything was just as she had left it, with the exception of a layer of dust that had not been there last she remembered. She sunk into the wrought-iron bed, waving away the puff of dust that rose off of it, and thought about what the Doctor and River had been told her. Was it possible that it was true, and she had just forgotten it all? And the little boy; was he really hers? The thought of what would have had to take place to bring him into being made her blush. How could she forget something like that?

A movement in her abdomen distracted her. She gasped, stifling a scream, and ran a tentative hand over the bump that had escaped her notice until now. Two diminutive feet kicked heartily in response. Amy's heartbeat quickened.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and River let herself in. She glanced at the girl, who was now hugging her legs and looking up at her with insecurity shining in her eyes, and couldn't help thinking that she was no more than a child herself. _Oh Doctor, why do I let you out,_ she mused inwardly.

"River, I think I'm pregnant."

"I know. I figured it out not too long before you received that blow to the head."

"It's the Doctor's, isn't it?"

"I would assume so. You two are mighty clingy."

Amy fiddled with a lock of her hair, twisting it anxiously. "Which means he and I…"

"Amy, wouldn't you rather be talking to him about this?"

"No! I mean, I can't. Please don't make me."

"You're going to have to sooner or later. He may be the only way to overcome this amnesia."

Amy fell back onto the pillow. What kind of memories was her brain denying her access to? How could she have gotten so involved with the Doctor to have two children with him? Granted, she had fantasized on several occasions, mostly in her dreams, of them having a more intimate relationship, but in the end he was always her friend, a nine-hundred-year-old alien, and untouchable.

River moved towards the door, preparing to leave. She knew Amy would need time to realize she was right. It wasn't something she could be forced into; if she tried that they might never be able to get back to the mystery of the otherworldly boy who had so vengefully disrupted an ordinary science fair. "Get some rest, sweetie. Your mind's been through enough in one day alone."

* * *

**So I thought it'd be interesting if Amy forgot about the Doctor**—**or rather part of her life with him**—**for a spell.  
**

**Thanks for reading, please review :)  
**


	10. the Poltergeist

**Warning: rather fluffy chapter ahead, although I'm sure the majority of you won't mind :)**

**Hope you like it, reviews welcome!**

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* * *

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Amy truly did try to rest, but there were too many thoughts clamoring in her head for her attention. And then there was the little one kicking about in her belly, as if to make sure she remembered it was there. She couldn't help thinking of it as alien—technically, it was. She wanted to remember so badly, wanted to know how everything had ended up where it was now. But all she could come up with was flashes; a lavender sky with two silver suns, a man with long blond curls, an unusually large mole, a temple on a hill. But the recollections that went with them were fuzzy and refused to clarify no matter how hard she focused on them.

At last, Amy fell into a fitful doze. Her dreams were visited by a young Asian boy she felt she'd seen before. He was surprisingly real, watching her with dark eyes, which on closer inspection appeared to be midnight-blue.

_Who are you?_

It startled Amy when she realized he had addressed her. Her dreams didn't usually go like this. _Amy Pond_, she replied hesitantly.

_Who is the man you are linked to?_

A little warning signal went off in her head. Amy told herself that this was just a dream, but since when did her dreams talk to her? _Why do you ask?_

_He knows I am not who I appear to be. But the defenses of his mind are too strong; I cannot get past them to learn his identity, nor can I find out anything from the other woman. Now, tell me who he is._

_Um, no._

The boy's features changed in an instant, fury warping them into an expression no child could ever master. He lunged for her, his long fingers clamping down around her neck. She screamed and tried to wake herself up but discovered she was unable to. The scarcity of oxygen was making her lightheaded, and despite her fighting back she was sinking further into the blackness, the cold waves of the unknown closing over her…

"Amelia! Amy, come back to me!"

The Doctor's voice finally roused her from the nightmare. She opened her eyes to find him holding her in the safety of his arms, and instinctively she clung to him, breathing heavily into his tweed jacket while he raked his fingers through her hair.

"Are you alright? You were screaming and throwing yourself all over the bed a moment ago," he said anxiously, aware that she was now sniffling into his shirt.

"It was a nightmare, but it was far too real. There was this Oriental boy…"

The Doctor held her at arm's length and stared at her intently. "Amy, what happened in the dream?"

"He wanted to know who you were, something about not being able to get past your defenses, or River's. When I wouldn't tell him, he—he tried to strangle me."

The Doctor pulled the hair away from her neck and ran his fingers over the skin there, inspecting it. His warm touch raised goose bumps, and for a brief second she thought she could smell the heady scent of wild poppies.

"You have bruises here, like fingerprints." There was a dark undertone to his words, reflecting the anger he had for the one responsible.

Amy's eyes grew wide. "Are you saying it wasn't a dream?" She shivered and looked around. "He's not in the TARDIS right now, is he?"

"No. Poltergeists draw their substance from the subconscious. For a moment he existed, at least long enough to leave his mark, but as soon as you awoke and put up your guard again, he could no longer stay."

"What did he want with you?"

"It is difficult to recognize a poltergeist when one doesn't want to be noticed, even for those who have devoted a good portion of their lives to studying them. I reckon he sees me as a threat to his plans, whatever they are."

"Will he come back?"

"I doubt it; he had only one chance to collect information, which is probably why he was so desperate. But we know what he is now." The Doctor rested his forehead against hers. "And he is in a heap of trouble for what he did to you."

The gesture conjured another blurred mental image, of skin on skin and gasps of pleasure in the darkness. He started to pull away, but she grabbed him by the lapel.

"Wait, Doctor. Put your forehead to mine again," she pleaded.

Looking a little perplexed by her request but willing to have any reason to be touching her, he did what she said. She closed her eyes, concentrating on what she had already seen.

All of a sudden the memories started flooding back; their wedding on Dulkis, Leonard Saxon, the Soricomorphans, Ancient Athens, the meeting with a younger River, Ian's birth, the poppy field. It was as if they were flooding from the Doctor's brain to hers; perhaps they were. She didn't even know she was crying until he began wiping the tears away.

"There now, what's the matter?" He asked soothingly.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," she said, laughing through the tears. She surprised him by knotting her fingers in his hair and pulling him down on top of her. Their lips moved together in unison, his hands sliding under her shirt, and she was starting to think they were going to repeat her last blurred memory when the baby suddenly kicked more ferociously than should have been possible for its smallness, if it had been only human.

"Blimey, I felt that," the Doctor said, resting a hand on Amy's stomach.

"Lively, this one. I don't think it wants to be forgotten again," Amy said with a grin, placing her hand over the Doctor's.

"So you remember everything?"

"I think so. Even that weird Bai Wu kid, the one with the baking soda and vinegar volcano. Our personal poltergeist." Amy frowned. "What I don't understand is how that one bloke seemed to recognize him."

"Poltergeists are fascinating beings. Humans once believed them to be unruly spirits who ransacked their homes and businesses, but those were no more than hoaxes concocted by imaginative folk with nothing better to do. In reality, poltergeists take whatever form they wish and set out to do as much mischief as they can in the millennia that they're alive for. They are actually quite lonely, believe it or not. Although I can't imagine why he would want to destroy a school gymnasium."

"So we're gonna track this polter-whatsit down and find out what his problem is, yeah?"

There was a pause before the Doctor answered. He considered telling her to stay behind, but he knew if he wasn't with her she could easily fall prey to the poltergeist once again.

Yes, we'll find the _poltergeist_. But I want you to stick close to me, got it?"  
"No problem," said Amy, kissing him.


	11. A New Threat

River was overjoyed when she learned Amy had regained her memory—mostly because it was Ian's lunchtime and he was threatening to kill her. As soon as he was returned to his mother's arms he settled down, and Amy hugged him tightly, promising to never forget him again.

"Right, so, we're going to return to the scene of the crime and see if we can discern Bai's whereabouts," the Doctor announced.

"But you said poltergeists are difficult to recognize sometimes. What if he doesn't want to be found?" Amy asked.

"Poltergeist? That would make sense," River remarked, recalling the boy's inhuman behavior.

"Oh, he wants to be found, alright. His kind have a very strong sense of curiosity, and right now he's wanting to know what I am and how I knew who he was. Shouldn't be a bit of trouble."

* * *

A little while later, Amy wasn't so sure. She was standing next to the Doctor, a drowsy Ian in his carrier again, surveying the debris of the caved-in gymnasium ceiling. Tables were turned on their sides, their displays scattered over the floor. An unseen toad—perhaps part of an exhibit—croaked nearby, his raspy voice echoing eerily in the silence that permeated the air. The baking soda and vinegar volcano would have looked innocent if it wasn't still smoking slightly. "Well we tried. Let's go," Amy said lightly, making for the door.

The Doctor grabbed her by the arm before she had taken more than two steps. "Not yet. He's here."

There was a distortion in the shadows, and Bai Wu suddenly appeared, hovering a few feet off the ground. He landed in front of the Doctor, his shoes not making one whisper of noise as they touched down on the over-glossed floor.

"So you came back," said the boy in the voice that didn't seem to fit, his lips curling.

"Indeed we have. How've you been, Bai? Blown up any other educational facilities while we've been gone?" The Doctor said as if making polite conversation.

"Haven't had the time. I was a little preoccupied with learning who the man who knew my secret was," Bai answered.

"Yeah, and almost killed my wife while you were at it. Needless to say I am not very pleased with you right now."

"My choices were limited. She was my only way in."

"I don't care." The Doctor squared up to the boy, staring him down. To an ignorant bystander it would have looked like a grown man challenging a helpless child, but in truth they were equals; one ageless being who had gotten off on a very wrong foot with another. "She's off limits, understood?"

Bai narrowed his eyes, and for a moment he looked as if he might defy him. But then he stepped back, his hands raised. "My apologies, sir. I was not aware of her intrinsic value."

The Doctor dipped his head, curtly acknowledging the apology.

"Now, sir, you seem to know what I am, but I do not yet know what you are. You are not from this world," Bai said.

"No, I am not. Originally from Gallifrey, go by the Doctor."

"Ah, a Time Lord. That would explain it."

"And your name isn't really Bai Wu, is it? Just a handle you adopted while you're in this form."

"Correct. My real name is hidden, as yours is. Names have power."

"Yes, as demonstrated by the Carrionites. What's still a mystery to me, however, is why you chose this particular form, and the reason for that little volcano fiasco earlier today."

"Straight to the point, Doctor, humans fascinate me. The way they live and survive, despite the circumstances. Thirty years ago I came to this school as a student in order to observe them." Bai's expression turned sour.

"And they ridiculed you." The Doctor knew enough about the school system on Earth to understand that someone as out of the ordinary as a poltergeist wouldn't be accepted, disguised or not. Schoolchildren were schoolchildren.

"Ridiculed? If only. They tormented me, ripped me apart. So I sought my revenge. I came back."

"To blow up a gym? Impressive," River remarked sarcastically.

Bai grinned. "That was only the beginning. They shall suffer for what they did to me, make no mistake."

"But these children aren't even the ones you went to school with. Why punish them?" Amy asked.

"They're all the same; children. One as nasty and hateful as the next, always bullying. Besides, these children happen to be the offspring of my tormenters, and they're no different from their parents. Honestly I'm doing the world a favor."

"Oh, a favor. Is that what you call it?" Said the Doctor. "Tell me, Bai, is destroying a secondary school really worth it? Your kind live for centuries; why bother seeking revenge for scars time will soon heal?"

"You should know better than that, Time Lord. Poltergeists don't take kindly to being mocked. When someone does us wrong, we get retribution. And it won't be just on this school, no. I've had thirty years to stew, to prepare a perfect plan of revenge, and I will not stop now, not until every child on this stinking planet has suffered my wrath."

The Doctor glanced over his son, imagining him older, and fully human, being sent off to school with an excited smile on his face. There had to be millions of children in the world who resembled that image, all of them innocent and ignorant of the danger that awaited them. His eyes met Amy's, and he knew she was thinking the same thing.

"That truly was a brilliant speech, but there's something missing. There are countless schools on this planet—even more children—and only one of you. How's the suffering-of-wrath bit supposed to work out, eh?"

"Like I said, Doctor, I've had thirty years." Bai strolled over to his volcano, which seemed to be the only thing left untouched in the room. "Do you see this glorious device? Quite remarkable how such a small thing could have the power to cave in an entire gymnasium roof, wasn't it? And that was just on the lowest setting. At full capacity, it can create a nuclear-like effect. Now, I've planted quite a few of these beauties in schools throughout the countries of this world. No one pays much attention to a baking soda and vinegar volcano, do they? At least, not until it's too late."

"You wouldn't," River gasped.

"I already have, dear lady. All it will take is one touch of this button. Just one." Bai procured a small remote control-like object from his pocket, which was fitted with a single bright red button. "Tell me, Doctor, how would you like to see your precious little family turn to dust? That'd be quite a sight; I daresay it would _torment_ you for the rest of your long life."

The Doctor heard Amy's breath catch in her throat, felt her pull back a step. His temper flared, but he forced himself to stay calm. "And what will you have gained from it, Bai? A small glimmer of satisfaction, before loneliness sets in again. Why not just give humanity a second go? I promise you there are people in this world, good, kind people, who are worth getting to know."

The coldness in Bai's eyes didn't waver even for a second. "They've had their chance. They don't deserve another one."

"Please, Bai. Don't make me have to stop you."

Bai guffawed. "Now that is rich. Think just because you're a Time Lord you can stop _me_? Have you forgotten what I _am_?"

"I warned you," the Doctor said. In a blink of an eye he had whipped out his sonic and clicked it. The detonator remote all but jumped out of Bai's hand, hitting the floor and shattering into a thousand pieces.

Bai shrieked in indignation and grabbed at his hair, pulling out a few clumps in the process. "You will pay for this, Time Lord! Beware, for I will return, and take from you what you treasure most!"

There was a crack, and the poltergeist disappeared, a cloud of rancid black smoke left swirling in his place.

"Is that it? Is he gone?" Amy asked, her nose wrinkling from the smell.

"For now. But he promised he would return, and poltergeists always keep their word. We'll just have to stay on our guard," the Doctor replied grimly.

* * *

**Note- the Carrionites were in the episode The Shakespeare Code, with the Tenth Doctor and Martha.**


	12. Chicken Soup and Namesakes

Amy lay in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin, cursing her luck of catching a cold at the same time as being four months pregnant. Her nose was red, swollen and stuffed up, and whenever she spoke her voice sounded quite a bit deeper and more mannish than it already was. Every once and a while she'd have a coughing fit that usually wouldn't end until she propped herself up. She supposed it probably hadn't been a good idea to go out on the below-zero tundra of the planet Frysta Terrang with three layers of clothing instead of five, as the Doctor had suggested. Now she was confined to their bed for the duration of the sickness. Doctor's orders, quite literally.

The door suddenly swung open, and the Doctor came in, balancing a tray of steaming chicken soup on two bundles of blankets. His sleeves were rolled up and his suspenders were hanging loose from his pants, the small stains on his shirt attesting that he may have gotten into a slight disagreement with the soup. He grinned widely when he saw her, but the guilt in his eyes was hard to hide: he blamed himself for suggesting the visit to Frysta Terrang in the first place.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, setting the soup bowl on the bedside table and stretching the flannel blankets over her.

"Like rubbish as usual. And I have enough blankets already, don't ya think?" Amy responded, grabbing a tissue from close by and blowing he nose.

"I'm not taking any more chances," said the Doctor, tucking the corners under her and causing the material to stretch tighter over the expanse of her stomach. She wriggled around a bit, purposefully loosening the tucked ends. "Here, eat up. It's a special Gallifreyan recipe," he told her, placing the chicken soup in her hands.

Amy stared at the hot broth dubiously, not liking the combination of the words 'special' and 'Gallifreyan'. "You sure it's chicken?" She asked.

"Of course. I made some substitutions."

"In place of what?"

"Some stuff we had on Gallifrey that would most likely not agree with your stomach, especially at this time."

Amy was still skeptical, but she was also starving as a result of her appetite kicking into overdrive once again. She lifted the spoon to her lips, wishing she at least knew what it smelled like, and tasted it.

The remaining contents of the bowl disappeared in seconds.

"Not bad, I suppose," Amy said. In actuality it was the best chicken soup she'd ever tasted, even with a sense of taste that had been affected by her cold. The Doctor seemed to catch onto this despite her brief comment, and smiled proudly. He leaned in to kiss her forehead but then drew back, studying her with a quizzical expression.

"Amy, have you been sleeping?" He asked.

Amy cringed under his gaze. She should have known better than to think he would fail to notice the dark circles under her eyes. The truth was that she had barely been getting any rest at all, what with the baby's constant energy and the nightmares she'd been having lately. They had started out as nothing, just repetitions of the scene that had played out when they had encountered Bai. But over time the dreams had become horrific, with the poltergeist taking his revenge in any way imaginable in them; an antique battle axe falling on the Doctor in some unnamed museum, River toppling over the side of a sheer cliff, Ian suffocating in his sleep. They all ended with her waking up in a panic, Bai's leering face still fresh in her mind.

Amy had tried to solve the issue by not sleeping at all, but with her hormones already out of whack this was impossible, and sooner or later she would drift off only to be welcomed by the nightmares that awaited her.

"A…little. I think she's training to be a gymnast or something," Amy replied lightly, patting her middle. The Doctor's sonic had revealed to them that the new arrival would be a girl, which both of them had been glad to learn.

The Doctor chuckled, distracted for the moment, and placed his hand over his wife's stomach. His daughter kicked in greeting.

"Do you think we should name her now? In case she comes early on us like Ian did," he asked.

"Your choice this time," Amy replied, leaning back against the pillows and fighting to keep he eyelids from drooping.

"I don't think I should. I'm not very imaginative when it comes to naming things," the Doctor said nervously.

"Oh come on."

"Can't we just call her Amelia Junior?"

"If you want to spread confusion amongst everyone we meet and subject her to ridicule for the rest of her life, then go right ahead."

"I told you I wasn't good at this."

"You'll think of something."

If there was one thing the Doctor was good at, it was thinking. Or at least, he thought he was. His mind scanned over every female he had ever met, searching for a name he could borrow. None of them seemed quite right—he wasn't sure 'Rose' would go over well with Amy—save one, a name that had belonged to someone who had died, or who he believed to have died, while saving his life.

"How does…Jenny sound to you?" He inquired cautiously. A memory flickered into his head, of Donna christening the blonde soldier fresh from a progenation machine.

"Was she someone you've met before?" Amy knew him all too well.

"She was my daughter. Well, in a manner of speaking; she was created from my DNA using a cloning device. I didn't have much say-so in the matter."

Amy looked surprised, but she didn't seem revolted by the idea. "What happened to her?" She asked.

"She…passed on. Took a bullet for me; didn't even have to." The Doctor fingered a loose thread in Amy's shirt, trying to keep her from seeing the wetness that had suddenly sprung into his eyes. Her hand found his and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I think Jenny's a wonderful name," she told him, a little relieved that Jenny had had no mother. Not that it was a big deal; she just didn't want her daughter to be a reminder of a woman who wasn't her.

"Are you sure?"

"'Course I am. It's perfect."

The Doctor smiled and planted a kiss on her nose, not caring when she accidentally sneezed on him.

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**Frysta Terrang is Swedish for 'frozen terrain'. I felt like mixing it up a little. Or a lot lol.**

**Jenny was in the episode the Doctor's Daughter with the 10th Doctor, Donna, and Martha. I was hesitant to use her name but I liked how it fit with Ian. Plus I thought it'd be nice if their second child had a namesake. Just out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on the original Jenny?**

**Sorry if this chapter was short; one of those in-betweens.**

**Thanks for reading, reviews are awesome! :)  
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	13. Worst Nightmare

**I apologize for taking a while to update. The router in my house decided to stop working for no apparent reason, so none of the laptops have wi fi. If I want internet I have to hook directly into the wall, which really stinks. So please excuse future delays; it doesn't look like it wants to be fixed anytime soon.**

**Hope you like it, please review! :)**

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Amy's cold ran its course and was soon gone, but with the help of sleep deprivation it had left her in pretty bad shape. Any weight she had gained—thanks to the Doctor and River's combined culinary efforts—had disappeared, and her ashen skin was beginning to stretch alarmingly over her bones. The dark circles under her eyes had deepened and took on a purplish-yellow hue, much like a bruise. And every time Jenny moved, it was much more visible than before.

"Amy, please. You have to sleep," begged the Doctor. He stroked his wife's limp red hair away from her forehead, noticing that it seemed to be taking on a gray tint. She looked up at him with fearful eyes that were wider than ever.

"I c-can't…bad dreams…won't go away…always there…" Amy's words were slurred with exhaustion. She wanted so desperately to sleep, to truly rest, even if it was only for half an hour. But the nightmares were vicious and never ending, denying her the thing she yearned for most.

"This is exactly why I steer clear of poltergeists as much as I can. In her condition she's fair game. He must have some kind of hold on her, and it increases as she weakens," River remarked. She was sitting in the desk chair, flipping through a ridiculously thick tome dedicated to the study of poltergeists. Neither she nor the Doctor had much experience with the race, and she was determined to discover something that would thwart Bai.

"What I want to know is how he managed it at all. The first time should have been his last, after her guard went up. Also there's the little matter of that we're on the TARDIS." The Doctor rubbed circles into Amy's temple and left cheekbone, making her relax. Her eyes began to slide shut, although she stubbornly kept snapping them open again.

"It says something in here about names. Gives the poltergeist a sort of power over his victim," said River, running her finger down a yellowing page.

The Doctor sighed. "Really, the Carrionites were bad enough. Is a decent poltergeist too much to ask for?" He looked down at the weary girl next to him. "Do you want me to bring you fish custard?" He asked her.

Amy shook her head, knowing it would come back up as soon as she got the first few bites down. This annoyed her, for she was craving the stuff even more now than she had with Ian. Jenny was just as unhappy about it and made sure she kicked enough to get her point across, reducing her mother to tears on several occasions.

"You know what would make this book useful? Instructions on how exactly to wring a poltergeist's neck." River was rifling through the pages a little vehemently now, irritated that the volume droned on and on about the characteristics and habits of the creature but failed to give information on how to deal with one. She knew they had very little time before Bai succeeded in taking two precious lives, just as he had sworn he would.

"Unfortunately they don't possess strictly corporeal bodies; otherwise passing into the dream world would be impossible," the Doctor told her.

"Doesn't mean I still don't want to do it," River muttered.

The Time Lord knew how she felt. He couldn't help reminding himself that it had been his idea to show Bai to his companions, even though he had known a bit about what he was at the time. As usual his curiosity and attraction to danger had gotten the best of him, and now Amy was taking the consequences.

His musings were interrupted by a whimper. He looked down to find that Amy had lost the battle with her body, and her head had fallen back against the pillow. But it wasn't a peaceful sleep; her eyelids were twitching and her brow was furrowed. Her hands were clutched into fists around the sheets, her knuckles blanching.

"Amy. Amelia!" The Doctor tried to rouse her, even shaking her a little roughly, but nothing could remove her from the nightmare this time.

"Aha! Here's something. It says a poltergeist is indestructible save when he enters the dreams of another. If he dies in that form, he can't return," River announced triumphantly.

"We have to let her know somehow." The Doctor lay alongside Amy and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and willing her to let him in. Her hands wrapped around his arm as if seeking comfort, but her mind was barred to him, as if Bai had thrown up a fortified wall against him. He concentrated and kept trying anyway.

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_It had to be a battlefield, or somewhere entirely devastated by war, for a smoky fog rolled over the land and death was heavy in the air. There had been buildings there, once, but now not one stone stood on another, every brick, plank of wood, and fence post strewn in broken heaps across the ground. Sprinkled amongst them were charred remains of something, and Amy didn't have to look close to know that they were bodies. Suddenly her foot struck against the corner of sign that had been smashed in two. She held the halves together and choked back a sob when she saw that 'Leadworth' was spelled out on them._

"_Amy Pond."_

_Her pulse quickened, and she dropped the sign. Jumping to her feet she began to run, but buildings that had been completely crushed before rose up around her, boxing her in before she got far. She pressed herself against the side of one, feeling the coldness of the stone through her shirt and wishing she could melt into it._

_Out of the mist Bai suddenly appeared, as she knew he would. He was no longer a child, looking somewhere around her age in this twisted apparition, his once-skinny frame now rippling with muscles. He trapped her against the wall, his leering, hateful face mere inches from hers._

"_Where's your precious Time Lord now, Amy Pond? He can't always be around to protect you, his little human pet, can he? You're all alone, poor Amy, with just me to keep you company."_

_Bai ran his finger down the side of her face, his sharp nail scratching her cheek. She glared at him, tears shining in her eyes, repeating to herself that this was no more than a dream. But the scratch from his nail felt so real, and she realized with a start that it had drawn blood._

"_Why can't you just leave me alone? I haven't done anything to you," she spat._

_Bai chuckled sardonically. "Nothing in life is fair, jaybird. Just being with the man who ruined my plans for revenge is enough to condemn you. You even smell like him. I bet you taste like him too…"_

_The distance between their faces began to dwindle, and Amy decided she had had enough. She kneed him in the gut, catching him by surprise. She took advantage of the moment to slip away and started running. She tripped over something and screamed when she realized it was Rory, lying on his back with his glassy eyes staring up at the sky, blood bathing his chest and trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Lorelei wasn't far from him, also dead, the corpse of a little girl who shared her perfect blond hair lying in her arms._

_Amy lost all her courage at the sight. She dragged herself away and just sat there, her arms curled around her legs, rocking back and forth as she cried. "Just a dream, Just a bad dream," she reiterated, although it was getting harder to believe._

"_Amelia!"_

_At first she thought it was Bai, coming to finish her off, but then she realized that she had never given the poltergeist her full first name. And besides, the voice that spoke was the Doctor's. Amy's head flew up, but he was nowhere to be seen._

"_Doctor?" She said hopefully, her voice shaking with relief._

"_Listen, Amelia. All Bai is doing is feeding on your deepest fears. Without them, he has no power."_

"_Great lot of help that is," Amy couldn't help blurting out. "What am I supposed to do, then? I can't escape him."_

"_You can't run from your fears; the only way to get rid of them is to fight them. Bai can't be killed in the physical world, but he's more vulnerable in his dream form. Do you understand?"_

"_I can't," Amy replied, knowing what the Doctor meant. The only way to defeat Bai was to destroy him, here, in her dream. But she had never killed anyone before, whether material or immaterial._

"_It's the only way." The Doctor's voice was fading, and a wave of terror washed over Amy._

"_No! Please don't leave me," Amy pleaded, but there was no answer. The Doctor had stayed as long as he was able._

"_Running away isn't very nice, you know. Might lead one to think you don't like them." Bai had returned, his words dripping from his lips like cyanide._

_Amy got unsteadily to her feet, hands clenched at her sides. She was strong, she could do this. One measly poltergeist had nothing on her. At least, that's what she kept telling herself._

_Bai grabbed her arm and threw her into him, grinning down at her with a wide smile that distorted his otherwise comely features. But before he could get any closer, she brought her other hand around, the one she had been hiding behind her back. He never saw it coming, for he hadn't seen her pick up the broken end of an iron fence post. It wasn't very long, but the sharp point was still intact. Without hesitating another second she thrust it between his ribs._

_Bai's smile disappeared. His stared down at the rod of iron piercing his skin and then at her, shock in his eyes. He tried to speak but couldn't find the breath for it. Although there was no blood—this body wasn't truly flesh and bone, after all—he was turning white as a sheet, paler than he had been before. Suddenly he began to lose substance, dissipating into the fog. Without his grip on her, Amy lost her balance and fell forward…_

Right into the Doctor's arms.

"Amy! Are you with us?" The Doctor asked, holding her to his chest. Once she realized she was free of the dream, she clung to him and let the tears flow.

"He's gone. I did what you said, and he's…gone," Amy told him, aware of his hearts beating and his familiar scent and everything that made this world real.

"I promise you, we're not doing poltergeists ever again," the Doctor said into her hair, running his fingers through it over and over.

"Got that right," Amy mumbled before slipping into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	14. Mush and a Spa Day

**Wow sooo sorry about the time it took to post this. Plus side- it's nice and long lol.**

**Enjoy, reviews welcomed :)**

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River was starting to feel old.

It wasn't as if she was—in her early thirties she was still in her prime—but whenever she found a new wrinkle, no matter how small, it always made her feel otherwise. It might have had something to do with living with the Doctor and Amy, who never aged a day and were always so full of life. When she watched them, something inside her felt empty, like she was lacking something. The way they fit together so well it was like they were one person, finishing each other's sentences and smiling over unspoken conversations communicated with their eyes. How they could fight like cats and dogs one minute and be kissing the next, how the Doctor held Amy so tightly yet carefully at the same time, as if she and the new baby were made of glass. River couldn't help wanting something like that. It was only natural.

It didn't take long for Amy to catch on to what her friend was feeling. She wished she could help, but when one lived on a time machine that catapulted through time and space, it was hard to get acquainted with anyone, much less someone whose personality remotely fit with River's. Not that she was giving up her chance for matchmaking, oh no. All she needed was time. And time was all they had.

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It was morning—presumably, one never knew when suspended in a time machine in the depths of space—and Ian was in a foul mood. He had just switched to baby food and wasn't particularly thrilled about the mashed carrots, peas and applesauce Amy attempted to force down his throat. Most of the unsightly substances ended up on the floor, himself, or, much to her chagrin, his mother's clothes.

After one such experience in which all of the above applied, Amy had had enough.

"Listen, you. You are going to _eat_ this stuff—not spit it out, not smear it on everything you can get your wee hands on, not use it as shampoo, but actually swallow it, and you are going to _like_ it, and I'm not gonna have any more trouble out of you!" She told him determinedly.

Ian, however, seemed to have it in mind not to listen, for he merely gurgled happily and blew a few spit bubbles, something green that could have been either peas or spinach dribbling down his chin. And then, mysteriously, the bowl in front of him managed to tip over the edge of the high chair tray and land mush-down on the floor.

Amy wanted to scream, or rip her hair out, or both. But such actions would do little to benefit the situation, and instead she broke down crying, all her recent inner fire having smoldered to nothing. Once the wracking sobs started they were hard to stop, until her entire body was shaking with them.

"There there, sweetie. It's alright." Steady hands were suddenly on her shoulders, pulling her out of the chair and steering her towards the kitchen door. River was quite good at showing up at the times when she was most needed. "Tell you what. You go take a nice hot bath, and I'll deal with this little ruffian."

Amy tried to muster the words to decline the offer, but her exhausted body had taken over her free will, and she found herself nodding and heading in the direction of the master bathroom. Once she was gone, River turned on the main source of the strife. He watched her with wide eyes, knowing from past incident that the game was up.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, reducing your poor mum to tears like that," the woman said disapprovingly, hands on her hips. "Now, I know you are well aware what you're up against, so it would be wiser to just take your mush like a man."

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The Doctor bounded in just as River was shoving a second spoonful of carrots into the grimacing mouth of his son. He stopped for a second to marvel at the sight of more food going in than coming out, and almost forgot what he had come in to say.

"River, do you know where Amy is? I've got a surprise for her," said the Doctor, remembering after a full minute. The excitement in his voice showed.

"I sent her off for a soak. Your miniature ragamuffin here nearly drove her over the edge," River responded, shoveling in another spoonful. "What's the surprise?"

"Well, I read somewhere that most women would like to go to a spa if they got a chance, so I'm going to take her to one."

River raised an eyebrow. "Is this spa on another planet?"

"Er, no, I thought maybe one on Earth would be best."

"Doctor, this is Amy Pond we're talking about. She won't be all that interested if it's not out of the ordinary."

"Well, yes, but I figured, what with the baby nearly due—"

"Oh I see. You're trying to keep her out of danger, although I don't see the point considering you'll probably find it anyway."

"I have good reason. May I remind you Ian arrived when a civil war was taking place practically on our doorstep. I don't want that happening again."

"What if a bomb falls on the spa?"

"River, that is highly unlikely."

"But not impossible. I'm just saying that things happen no matter where you are."

"I've noticed." The Doctor sat in a chair beside her, chin resting on his palms, and mulled over what to do.

"Okay, fine. Take her to this spa on Earth. I'll watch Ian for you," River said with a sigh.

"River, you are a gem." The Doctor smiled, pushing back out of the chair so fast it teetered on two legs for a moment. He dashed out of the kitchen.

"Wish someone else would notice that," River said quietly once he was gone.

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As River had predicted, Amy wasn't too excited about the Doctor's idea, but she went along with it since it meant going somewhere. And she had to admit her back and neck were aching like crazy, so it couldn't hurt.

River watched them until they disappeared from view, ignoring the small, inevitable pang of jealousy that throbbed in her heart. She forgot about it when she found Ian had taken the opportunity to attempt a climb of the TARDIS console in order to get to the fascinating things he could see atop it. She quickly pulled him away from it, gave him a scolding, and put him to bed, the last thing being the most difficult of all. After half an hour of lullabies and rocking, the child finally yawned and closed his eyes. His godmother laid him down, careful not to wake him, and then stood by the side of the crib for a moment, admiring him. One who didn't know him when he was awake most likely would have been deceived into believing him an innocent angel.

River grabbed the baby monitor, stuffed it in her pocket, and closed the nursery door behind her. She was heading down the corridor when a knocking echoed from the console room ahead of her, making her stop in her tracks. A few seconds passed, and the knocking sounded again, more urgent this time.

"Who on earth?" River murmured to herself, picking up her pace. She figured it could be the Doctor, or perhaps Amy, coming back for something they'd forgotten, but the TARDIS wouldn't bar either of them from entering, so why would they knock? And who else could it be, if not them?

She hesitated, one hand on the doorknob, the other pressed against the smooth, blue-painted wood. She shouldn't just open the door without knowing who it was. The Doctor may very well have done it—in fact, he wouldn't have bothered to even stop like she did—but that was another matter altogether. She had been entrusted with the welfare of the Doctor's son, and for all she knew it could be some kind of hoodlum trying to get in.

The woman retracted her touch from the door and strode up the steps to the console. She flipped a number of switches and pushed a few buttons that had been shown in a diagram in the TARDIS manual, and the screen flickered to life. It offered a view of the street on the other side of the doors, but to River's surprise there was no one there. It came as a shock, therefore, when the knocking continued.

River wasn't one to be easily spooked, but the fact that she was alone changed things. Heart racing, she scrambled for the communicator earpiece and put it on. She pressed a button on it and waited.

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A few blocks away, the Doctor felt something vibrating from within his inside jacket pocket. He put down the women's periodical he had been perusing and pulled out the earpiece he'd brought along incase River needed to contact him.

"Hello there, River. Is something wrong?" The Doctor said into the device once he had fitted it into his ear.

"There's someone—or something—knocking on the door."

"Who is it?"

"That's the problem. The video feed doesn't reveal anyone."

"Probably nothing more than a ding-dong-ditch prank, then."

"If only. Whatever it is, it's still knocking."

The Doctor abandoned the stack of magazines he had been rifling through. "An invisible caller, eh? Now that is something."

"Doctor, this could be serious."

"Relax, River. The TARDIS won't let anyone she deems dangerous in."

River sighed. "So I'm just supposed to ignore it, then?"

"Cheer up; we'll be back in no time. Your mysterious friend will probably have gotten bored by then and wandered off."

"Alright. You better be right about this."

"I'm always right."

"Sure you are."

River shook her head and removed the earpiece. She stared at the doors apprehensively. The knocking had ceased, replaced by the sound of footsteps moving away. Curiosity overtook her. What if there had been something wrong with the video feed, and it was just an ordinary person? Maybe she could catch a glimpse of them before they rounded the corner.

The doors were reluctant to open when River tried them, as if the TARDIS believed she was having a lapse in judgment. The woman was resolute, however, and after a moment she managed to create a one-inch gap between them.

One gap was all it took. A puff of gas with a smell similar to sulfur erupted on the other side, seeping through the crack. River coughed and tried to shut the door, but she was too late. The room spun around her, and she slumped against the wood, slipping into unconsciousness.

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**The characters in this story have a bad tendency of getting knocked out on more than one occasion, don't they? Well, as long as no one gets brain damage from it I think it'll be all good lol.**


	15. The Man in the Greatcoat

**Wifi's still out, sadly. But at least it means I get to spend more time at Barnes and Noble bumming off their internet. Score.  
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**I apologize for the shortness, but I think you may like the characters introduced in this chapter :)**

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The room was dark, so dark that when River came to she thought for a second that she had gone blind. But then her eyes adjusted, making out filing cabinets and stacked boxes: she was in some sort of storage room. As a reflex she reached for her blaster and discovered it missing from its holster.

"Alright, _no one_ touches my favorite blaster and gets away with it!" The woman shouted to whoever was in hearing distance. "When I get my hands on you are sooo—"

"Right little hellcat, aren't you?"

The lights came on all of a sudden, revealing a man by the door. He was short and stocky, with a cigar clenched between his teeth. The suit he wore looked dapper enough, but if one looked closely one would notice the stains and worn spots on it. What was left of his hair was combed over his glistening bald spot.

River wrinkled her nose at him, despising the stench of his cigar and his entire person in general. "And who exactly are you?"

"Larry Nye, Torchwood agent. Or ex-agent, rather. At least until I deliver you to them. I expect you're good enough to get me reinstated."

"How so?" River's eyes were roving over the room, searching for a way of escape. It was probably safe to assume this Larry Nye had no knowledge of Ian; the TARDIS would have made sure of that. But if so he was still without supervision and in just as much danger from himself.

"Torchwood's looking for any information on the Doctor that they can get. You've been traveling with him. That right there is gold enough."

River looked at the man, sizing him up. He didn't seem all that bright, but the fact he thought to use a cloaking device before approaching the TARDIS made her rethink her assessment. His gruff voice held a hint of a Cockney accent, and he seemed to be trying to hide it. "What is this Torchwood? And why didn't you bring them right to the TARDIS instead of knocking me out and carting me off?"

"Torchwood is an organization dedicated to taking possession of all things alien and learning about them in order to combat them. Been functioning since good ole Queen Victoria created it in the eighteen hundreds." Larry Nye dropped his cigar stump on the ground, stamped it out, and lit a new one. Either the man had a serious addiction, which was most likely part of it, or he was nervous; a good sign for his captive. He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, I'm not exactly in Torchwood's favor right now. My termination followed a series of, ahem, adverse circumstances that I happened to be a part of. Nothing too serious; just near exposure of the organization, some false leads, a little misuse of provided funds, that sort of thing. If I told them the TARDIS was on the edge of town, I'd be thrown out of the place at best. But with you, I have proof. And a ransom."

River had never heard of Torchwood, but she didn't particularly like the sound of it. And it was clear that it meant bad news for the Doctor, perhaps even for Amy and Ian. She had to warn them, somehow, before she became the reason for endangering them. But even though her hands and feet were unbound, some kind of barrier—cloaked, like Mr. Nye had been—surrounded her on all sides, and she was weaponless. This wasn't going to be an easy pickle to get out of.

"Listen, Larry. The Doctor isn't someone you want to mess with," River said, taking a chance at talking her way out.

"Frankly I don't care. I haven't been able to get a decent-paying job since Torchwood fired me, and this may be my only opportunity to get it back."

There was a sudden crash somewhere outside the room. Larry Nye jumped, transforming from relaxed and mildly bored to alert and on guard.

"I'll be back," the ex-agent said, clenching his cigar harder between his teeth. He pulled a blaster out of his pocket—correction, River's blaster—and unlocked the door, slipping through it into the hallway and closing it firmly behind him.

There was another crash and a scuffling sound, as if there was some sort of fight going on. When the door opened again, it wasn't the balding former agent who entered. This man was younger and good-looking, dressed in a steel-gray officer's greatcoat. There was a blaster in his hand, this one a little larger and more modern than River's. He aimed it at a device on the ceiling and fired, shattering it to bits. The air around River flashed red for a moment before returning to normal, indicating that her invisible prison had been compromised.

"I suppose you'll be wanting this back," the man said, tossing River's blaster to her. "That's too nice a piece of machinery to be in the hands of a thug." He flashed her a brilliant white smile. "Now are you coming or what? I can't guarantee he'll be out much longer."

River didn't need to be told twice. Not caring where this man came from or whether she was in worse danger with him, anything was better than being locked in a room with Larry Nye. Besides, her savior wasn't exactly hard on the eyes.

They raced down the hallway, veering around corners. River was trying to figure out what building the nondescript corridors belonged to when they just about collided into a petite girl with a blond ponytail.

"Bout time, Jack. A couple of Torchwood One goons are after us. I lost them a few corridors back but I expect they'll be here soon."

"Thanks, Jen. Come on, this way," the man named Jack told River, tearing off again.

And they ran, their hearts thumping with exhilaration in time to the pounding of the footsteps behind them, never feeling more alive.

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**So I've decided to make up for my lack of knowledge outside of Wikipedia of Doctor Who. I want to know everything you guys know that may not be on the internet or in an episode I saw, even if it makes the longest review ever. Please and thank you :)**


	16. The Doctor's Other Daughter

**I'm contemplating beating up the router.**

**However, this would most likely not fix my wifi.**

**On the other hand, it would make me feel a lot better.**

**Sorry, guys. Hope you like this chapter anyway :)**

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"Okay so maybe it was a little better than I expected," Amy admitted. She and the Doctor were heading back to the TARDIS after a long day at the spa. It was a typical overcast London evening, but at least it wasn't raining, and the usually dismal grayness of it was oddly comforting for once. The Doctor's arm was around Amy as they walked, and she leaned against him, completely relaxed. A day of peace had done her good.

"You really ought to listen to me more often," said the Doctor, his eyes smiling.

"Yeah, I suppose I ought to. Doesn't mean I will, though."

"Not the infamous Amelia Pond, oh no." The Doctor's lips grazed against her hair, and for a moment she was distracted by everything that was him: the texture of his tweed jacket against her cheek, his faint cinnamon-nutmeg scent that had to come from some kind of soap or shampoo he used, the crinkled edges of his sparkling blue eyes. She didn't think she could ever get enough of him.

Everything changed, however, the moment they came round a corner and laid eyes on the TARDIS. The ship's double doors were wide open and swinging forebodingly in the mild breeze, and in a second the day went from comfortable and relaxing to something out of a horror film.

"River!" Amy shouted, about to break into a run. But the Doctor pulled her back before she got the chance.

"No, Amy. Let me handle this," he told her, afraid she might fall or hurt herself in some other way. There was also a possibility of someone lurking inside the TARDIS who was not supposed to be there, and he didn't need to subject her to that danger.

Of course it didn't really matter, for as soon as he turned and headed for their home, she was right on his heels. While he was busy calling River's name and searching his ship for her, Amy went straight for the nursery. She found Ian there in his crib, alone and whimpering but otherwise completely fine. She snatched him up anyway and held him close, imagining all the horrible things that could have happened to him if the TARDIS wasn't, in a way, alive.

"She's gone," the Doctor said, coming up behind her. He sounded like he couldn't believe it. Neither of them could. River was smart; for one she was the only one who could beat the Doctor at both chess and Chinese checkers, and three times in a row to boot. The idea that someone had been able to kidnap her scared both of them.

"Maybe you didn't look hard enough," Amy replied, refusing to accept the hard reality.

"Amy, the doors were wide open and she's not answering. I highly doubt she left Ian on his own and went for a stroll into the deepest rooms of the TARDIS."

"Well then we've gotta find her."

"Amelia." The Doctor sighed and reeled her in by her waist before she could think of running off. "You're not going to find her by roaming the streets of London. Whoever took her is probably long gone by now."

"So? She's family."

"Which is why I'll go. Her kidnapper can't be any cleverer than me."

"What, are you calling me dumb now?"

"No! No, it's just, it'll be much quicker if I—"

"Oh, so I'm slow. Much better."

"Oi, that is not what I meant—"

"Are you going to be calling me fat next?"

"For goodness sake, shush!" The Doctor pressed his finger against her lips to prevent any more of her hyperactive emotions from escaping. She glared at him, which would have looked more intimidating if Ian had not picked that moment to attack his father's outstretched hand. He seemed to be trying to remove the buttons on the sleeve and had the funniest look of concentration on his chubby-cheeked face. "She's alright, I promise. I'll be back with her as soon as possible," the Doctor reassured her.

"Promise?" Amy wanted to still be cross with him, but it was a little difficult when his fingertips were tracing a pattern around her ear, down her jaw line, and back up again.

"Time Lord's honor."

"Time Lords have honor?"

"Touché." The Doctor smiled, kissed her forehead, and went off to begin his search. Amy's heart went with him, but she forced herself to close the doors as soon as he exited through them. She was used to being impulsive and acting on thoughtless whims, but she had to remind herself that she had to grow up and be responsible now. It was still a concept that would take getting used to.

* * *

"So who exactly are you?"

River and her two rescuers were resting under a bridge beside the river Thames, hidden from view. They'd run for blocks, doubling back a few times to make sure they weren't being followed. It was nice to have this small moment of peace after all of it.

"Jack Harkness at your service, madam. And this is Jenny," the man in the greatcoat introduced.

River raised an eyebrow, which Jenny seemed to understand right away.

"I don't have a surname. Well, that I know of, I suppose," the blond girl chirped. River studied her, taking in her fit physique and energetic personality. Something seemed familiar about her, but she was unable to put her finger on it. She noted that she shared her name with her soon-to-be-arriving goddaughter but chose not to inform them of this.

"That idiot who kidnapped me said he was of Torchwood, or rather formerly. Are you a part of it as well?" River asked.

"Depends on which one you're talking about. Torchwood started out as a very unpleasant kind of organization. Their aim was to defend the earth against extraterrestrial threats, but on more than one occasion they went a little too far." Jack took a cloth out of his pocket and began polishing his blaster, as if this was a perfectly normal thing to do in the presence of a complete stranger. He leaned against the bricks the bridge was built out of, his posture relaxed. "The Torchwood I'm from, Torchwood Three, is totally different. I rebuilt it the way it should have been in the beginning. For one thing we wouldn't have so rudely kidnapped a lovely lady such as yourself."

"So if you're not one of them, how'd you know about me?" River asked, unfazed by the compliment.

"Actually, it was a bit of an accident. We were searching Torchwood Tower for information on my dad—Jack's been helping me look for him—when I saw him dragging you down one of the corridors. Figured he was up to no good," Jenny replied.

"Got that right," River muttered, massaging her wrists. She had a feeling Larry Nye had resorted to pulling her along by them at one point, for there were bruises encircling them and her arms felt like they had been pulled out of their sockets. "So this father of yours—did Torchwood kidnap him too?"

"At one point, yes. But more importantly they usually keep tabs on him. Jack says he's their number one enemy. They'd do anything to get their hands on him," Jenny told her.

This last statement resonated in River's mind. Hadn't Nye said something similar involving the Doctor? _Jenny…_

"Jenny, who's your father?" She asked.

"Well, I'm not sure what his real name is, but during the time I knew him everyone called him the Doctor."


	17. Meet the Family

**Wifi is BACK! Apparently all it takes is asking a computer tech guy you go to church with to come over and fix it. Who would have thought?**

**So I'm trying to figure out how this story keeps going and going, because considering my usual writing habits it would have fizzled long ago. Guess things are just different when it comes to Doctor Who.  
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**This chapter is unintentionally kinda long-ish. Hope you guys like it, please review :)**

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* * *

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The Doctor wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for. A suspicious figure dragging a curly-haired woman down the street would have been a pretty good start. He combed through every street that fanned out from where the TARDIS stood, even in the occasion dustbin, but with no luck. A lump began to rise in his throat, partly caused by the fear he had for his friend's life and partly because he dreaded what would happen if he went back to Amy empty-handed. And then suddenly, an idea struck him.

The baby monitor.

The Doctor sprinted back to the TARDIS, crashing through the doors and clattering up the stairs.

"Whoa, there! Cool your heels, mister," Amy shouted after him, surprised by his abrupt entrance. "Did you find River?"

"No, no, not yet, but I'm about to!" The Doctor called back before disappearing down the corridor.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy said, following him.

The Doctor was in the nursery, holding the baby monitor and pivoting on his heel in a circle, searching the room for something.

"Have you used the other piece of the monitor, as of late?" He asked.

Amy thought about this. "Er, no. Actually, I haven't seen it since—"

"Since we left it with River. Exactly."

"Still waitin' for the point here."

"It's a two-way baby monitor, Amy."

"Like a walkie-talkie?" Immediately it clicked. "So if River's got the other one…"

The Doctor smiled in response. He pressed the button on the top of the device. "River, can you hear me? River?"

* * *

Down by the Thames, River heard something. It was faint, barely more than a whisper, but the mention of her name caught her attention. It took her a second to realize the voice was coming from her back pocket; from something Larry Nye had neglected to remove from her person when he had taken possession of the blaster. She pulled out the baby monitor and smiled.

"I hear you, Doctor. Loud and clear," River replied, relieved to hear his familiar voice again.

"Brilliant!" The Doctor sounded equally pleased. "Now, care telling me where you've gotten off to?"

"Some Torchwood goon dragged me off, but I'm fine now."

There was a pause. "Torchwood?"

"Yeah. Torchwood One, if that makes a difference."  
"It does. River, by 'fine' do you mean you escaped?"

"Sort of. Rescued would be a more accurate term."

"By who?"

"Top of the morning to you, Doctor," Jack cut in, leaning towards the monitor.

Another pause.

"Jack Harkness, you old devil."

"Nice to see I'm not easily forgotten."

"Hit that one on the nose."

"Who's Jack Harkness?" Amy's curious voice said in the background.

"Someone you honestly don't want to meet," the Doctor told her.

"Who's your new lady friend, Doctor?" Jack asked.

"Don't get any ideas, Jack. She's off limits."

"I understand completely." Jack grinned knowingly, revealing dimples.

"River, do you think you can find your way back to the TARDIS?"

"Not sure. There's a million streets that look like the one we landed on."

"Right then. Remember when we were in the catacombs with the Angels, and I programmed the communicator to guide Amy towards us? I'm going to do that with the monitor now." A high-pitched noise emitting from the unseen sonic screwdriver began to echo through the monitor's speaker. "Just follow the noise and it will lead you straight home."

River stood up and turned on the spot until the noise became clearer.

"Mind if we come along?" Jack asked, tucking away his blaster.

"Doctor, Jack wants to come with me," River said into the device. She didn't mention Jenny; she figured that sort of news was better broken in person, not over a baby monitor.

"Might as well. You'll find there's really no way of stopping him."

"He does have a point." Said Jack.

"I can't believe I'm finally going to see him again. At last," Jenny murmured, getting up from where she had been sitting cross-legged on the bank of the Thames and following the two.

Thankfully the sonic's signal wasn't too terribly loud, for none of the people rushing past them seemed to notice. It was getting darker, and the air was frosty now, so that they could see their breath. Coats were tugged closer to their owners' bodies, scarves tied tighter around necks. River, who hadn't concerned herself with the outside temperature considering she had planned to stay in the heated TARDIS for the length of the trip, began to shiver. Jack offered her his greatcoat, which she gratefully slipped over her blouse. Jenny didn't seem to notice the cold, much less be bothered by it, despite the fact that the sage-green cardigan she wore was rather thin. River watched her as she drew ahead of them, her blond ponytail bouncing with every step she took, and compared her to the Doctor. They didn't look very similar—but then again, the Doctor was a man of many faces, so who was to say what he looked like at her age? Yet there was something in the mannerism; fearlessness, a taste for adventure, a touch of peculiarity. And then there was that there weren't many young women who could pull off pairing a feminine cardigan with army-grade combat boots.

The shrill noise issuing from the monitor reached its peak, and at last they saw something blue and box-shaped in the distance. River smiled at the sight of it and took off, the others close behind. The TARDIS doors opened for her on their own accord, as if the time machine had missed her too.

"Doctor?" River called, looking around the console room for her friend.

The Doctor appeared at the top of the stairs, one hand holding the baby monitor and the other shoved in his pocket, eyes smiling. "Welcome back, River Song."

He started to move towards the woman with the intent of giving her a hug when his eyes alighted on the girl behind her. The Time Lord froze in his tracks, a look of absolute shock on his face, which had quickly adopted a sheet-like pallor.

"Not possible…" the Doctor said in a low, disbelieving voice.

"Dad? Is it you?" Jenny questioned, uncertain. Jack had informed her on the regeneration process of the people she called ancestors, but she hadn't truly had an idea of what to expect. Naturally she figured there was a greater chance of finding him the way she had left him, and this younger-faced version was so different she wasn't sure how to approach him.

"Nice look on you, Doctor," Jack remarked, not seeming to mind the change. "Although I do miss those Converse."

"Did it work? Is she back?"

Just then Amy came up behind the Doctor, catching sight of the party standing just below the console platform. "Thank goodness," she said in relief, breezing past him and pulling River into as tight a hug as her middle would allow. Jack cleared his throat a little too obviously, and she turned her attention on him. "So you must be the notorious Jack Harkness."

"Guilty as charged," Jack responded. His mischievous eyes darted from the Doctor to Amy and back, the corners of his lips turning up into a grin that indicated he had picked up on their relationship.

"Wait, who's she?" Amy said all of a suddenly, noticing Jenny.

"Amy, do you remember what I told you about the baby's namesake?"

"Yeah, you said she took a bullet for you, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Think about it. What happens when I get injured?"

Amy did think about it, and her eyes grew wide. She studied the girl, her hand fluttering over her stomach. "You're not saying this is…"

The Doctor nodded. "The original, in a way of speaking."

Jenny smiled amiably and waved, although only her fingertips moved. She did not yet know the identity of this red-haired woman and therefore was unsure of the proper way to greet her. None of the companions Jack had described matched up to her.

The Doctor had descended the platform to stand beside Amy. He threaded his fingers through hers. "Jenny, this is Amy Pond. My wife."

Wife? The Doctor had a wife? Jenny was surprised, but she quickly hid it. After all, it wasn't that unusual. Just because she had been created wholly from a strand of his DNA didn't mean he wasn't capable of loving someone or, apparently, having a child in the normal fashion with them. "Hallo, Amy. Or do I call you Mum?"

"Oi, none of that!"

"Alright, we'll stick with Amy then."

"Much better."

Amy was starting to think that she would never know normalcy again. Finding out she had a granddaughter—sort of—had been strange enough. Being addressed as 'Mum' by a girl about the same age as her would be too far over the line.

Jack seemed to think a change of subject was needed. "You know, we're both pretty famished. And it's around dinnertime. Well, at least out there," he said, hinting.

Amy used this as an excuse to escape the odd situation, declaring she had just been about to put on supper. After all, this was not a conversation she had reason to be a part of.

"Oh, I can help!" Jenny offered helpfully.

"No! Erm, I mean, I've got it. You just stay right there. I'm sure you've got some catching up to do anyway," Amy told her firmly. She spun around and hurried up the steps towards the TARDIS nursery first, both baby monitors in her hands.

"So." The Doctor half-wished he could escape as well, just because he didn't really know what to say. But he knew he needed to talk to the daughter he had believed to have died in his place, and this was the best time to do it. "What happened, Jenny, after I left? And how did you get from Messaline to here?"

"Well, I'm not really sure what happened after you left. I just remember waking up, the bullet wound healed over as if it had never existed. I realized I had a second chance at life, and I wanted to make the most of it. I wanted to see the universe and fight a couple villains, like you. And do an awful lot of running, of course." Jenny grinned. "I took the spaceship and got out of there as fast as I could. I went everywhere, from one end of the universe to the other, saw fantastic things I'd never seen before. But it felt like something was missing. Or rather, someone: you."

"How exactly did you meet up with Jack?"

"By accident, actually. I was out taking the vortex manipulator for a spin—a little French Revolution sightseeing, some planet-hopping in the Ar Goll Galaxy. But you know how vortex manipulators can be; I tried to come back to the time I left and ended up a couple centuries ahead of it. That's where I found Jenny," Jack contributed.

"I'd heard tell of you, how you were the protector of Earth, so I went there in hopes of finding you. I had some difficulty entering the atmosphere, however, and had to crash-land," explained Jenny.

"I was about to flash back to my time when her ship came plummeting out of the sky."

"Jack came to discover who the pilot was and whether or not I was alright, which I was. Of course, he was willing to change that if I turned out to be dangerous. Had a colossal blaster gun pointed at my chest for most of the time." Jenny laughed. The Doctor cast Jack a hard, disapproving look. "He helped me out and we got to talking, and I told him what my mission was. He agreed to assist me." Jenny took a step towards her father, wanting to touch him, to ensure that he was real, but hesitant to do so.

"I suppose I owe Jack one, then," the Doctor said, smiling. He spread out his arms, and this time Jenny didn't care about appropriate behavior. Like a child she leapt into his comforting embrace.

"I really have missed you, Dad," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I've missed you too, Jenny," the Doctor replied softly, not realizing how much until that moment.

"This is all very touching, really, but I was serious about being famished. I think I'll just go check and see how the food's coming," Jack announced. With that he slipped away, allowing the Doctor and his oldest daughter some time alone.


	18. Amy's Plan

Amy opened the cupboards and the refrigerator, searching for something that their new guests would like. River had offered to help, but she'd seemed worn out despite her willingness, and Amy had promptly sent her off to bed to rest. She decided the spaghetti left over from the day before would do for supper and had the bowl in her hands when the baby picked that moment to kick, making her gasp and drop it. It would have shattered on the floor if Jack hadn't suddenly appeared, catching the bowl neatly in his arms.

"I'm not strictly opposed to eating off the floor, but the shards of glass might ruin the flavor a little," the man said with a touch of humor in his voice, setting the noodle-filled dish on the counter.

"Thanks," Amy said gratefully, massaging where her daughter's foot had jabbed her.

"Anytime, ma'am."

"So, you know the Doctor, yeah?"

"I've traveled with him on more than one occasion. Never thought he'd ever actually get married, though. Not that it's my business or anything." Jack leaned against the counter with him arms crossed, watching Amy as she dumped the spaghetti into a pan and put it on the stove to heat.

"You're not the only one. He's not exactly a normal bloke, is he?"

"Well, it's more than that. It was like...he was so afraid of losing someone he was close to that he made sure he never got too close. I guess he always did end up losing them in the end, to old age. You know; curse of the Time Lords."

"No fear of that. I'm not going anywhere."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Wishful thinking can't stop it, Amy."

"It's not wishful thinking. I don't age."

Both eyebrows shot up this time. "You look human to me."

"'Cause I am. Just had a bit of a run-in with the Fountain of Youth. I know it's kind of hard concept to wrap your head around."

"Not exactly." Jack fiddled with a collection of spice containers on the counter, arranging them in a row absentmindedly. "I assume the Doctor hasn't told you anything about me."

"Nope. He doesn't talk about his past companions much. I think it's painful for him."

"I can understand that. It's not easy, watching the people around you fade and pass on, while you live on without changing."

Amy stopped stirring the spaghetti and focused on the man who was throwing his greatcoat over the back of a nearby chair. "You sound like you've got some experience. But you couldn't possibly be another Time Lord."

"No, I'm not. Tell me, Amy. Are you entirely immortal? I mean, can you die?"

"I assume so. Almost have on a few occasions. Can't you?"

Jack smiled wanly. "I already have."

Amy forgot about supper entirely. "You're putting me on."

"If only. Have you ever heard of a race known as the Daleks?"

A chill went down Amy's spine at the mention of the Doctor's worst enemy. A memory flashed in the forefront of her mind, of the pulses of energy shooting out of the Dalek's exterminator arm and striking down both of Churchill's soldiers. "Heard of 'em? I've had the displeasure of meeting 'em."

"I'm sorry you had too. It was a Dalek that shot me."

"But—that's impossible. No one could have survived that."

"I didn't. The Doctor's companion at that time resurrected me, with energy she'd absorbed from the time vortex." Jack nearly mentioned Rose by name but decided against it at the last minute. It wasn't considered good manners to bring up someone's ex to their wife, in a manner of speaking. He'd learned that the hard way.

"Shut up." Amy knew what could happen to a person if the heart of the TARDIS was opened. The Doctor had told her so she wouldn't find out about it herself and get curious. There wasn't a way anyone human could survive it.

"It's true. You're actually lucky; you can die any time you want. I can't. Believe me, I've tried."

"You must've been through a lot to have done." Amy returned to the spaghetti after a burning smell began to tinge the air.

"Yeah, but enough about me. Is that a Scottish accent I hear?"

"Got a problem with that?"

Jack chuckled. "And a spirit to match the hair. No wonder the Doctor loves you."

Amy smiled. She fetched a ciabatta loaf from the bread box and reheated it in the oven. "Do I detect a hint of remorse?"

"What, for the Doctor? Nah, I'm way over that."

Amy tucked her hair behind her ear and held his gaze. "Fancy Jenny now, don't ya?" Her sharp green eyes missed nothing.

It was amusing to her how one simple question could disrupt the suave behavior of Jack Harkness so easily. His elbow slid off the edge of the counter, making him stumble over his own feet.

"Jenny? The Doctor's daughter? No! No, we're just…friends," the flustered time traveler said, trying to regain his smooth composure.

"Mhm. Mr. Harkness, you could tell the Doctor loved me. Being observant works both ways, ya know."

"You won't tell him, will you? The Doctor."

"Why are you worried about that?"

"Well, she is his daughter, and even dads who have become such due to stolen DNA are still dads. He's bound to be protective of her."

"You don't strike me as someone who's scared of anything."

"The Doctor's bad side isn't something I want to be on."

"But if she's from his DNA, that makes her a Time Lady. She's going to live for years and years, like her father. Like you. I'd say go for it." The baby shifted, and Amy rested her hand over the bump. "You know, we named this one Jenny, after her. The Doctor was positive she was dead. It's gonna get a mite confusing with two Jennys around now."

"That's alright. You can never have too many Jennys," Jack told her with a laugh. Noticing Amy's hand tighten a little and her grin become pained, he asked, "How close are you?"

"Don't know; hard to tell with half Time Lords. Should be soon. The first one came after just six months."

"The first one?" It seemed there would be no end in surprises for Captain Jack Harkness.

"Um, yeah. Ian. He's five and a half months old. He's asleep right now." Amy busied herself with taking the bread out of the oven and plunking it down on the stovetop.

"Wow. That's just…wow. And the Doctor called me an old devil."

"Shut it," Amy said good-naturedly, not really minding. Her children, although completely unplanned, were constant reminders of how much the Doctor loved her, and she didn't care who knew it.

"I told you we couldn't trust him. Let this bloke in a kitchen and *_pop*_ all your food's gone."

The Doctor and Jenny suddenly appeared in the doorway, catching Jack in the act of tearing off a piece of the warm ciabatta bread. The Doctor was watching Jack with a bemused expression, hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

"Don't know what you're talking about, Doctor," Jack said with an air of feigned innocence, going for another piece.

Amy slapped his hand. "Oi, no more for you. Save some for the rest of us," she said playfully, picking up the tray the loaf was on and taking it to the table. Jack was right behind her with the spaghetti bowl, although not before he stole a meatball.

* * *

Supper was eaten with enthusiasm, for everyone present hadn't had anything substantial in a good while. The Doctor, as usual, rambled on about nothing in particular, spouting off everything that had happened since they'd all seen each other and then some.

"So, Jack. Still with Alonso?"

The question startled Jack out of his reverie. Amy had to suppress a laugh. The Doctor may have been clueless, but she'd noted their guests making eyes at each other over the vase of profusely colorful flowers in the center of the table.

"What? Oh, no. Not anymore. He ended up falling for someone else," Jack responded, coughing.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," the Doctor said.

"Don't worry about it. It's been a while. A very long while." Jack's tone was insistent, as if he wanted to make sure it was clear he wasn't currently with anyone. Jenny seemed interested to hear this, at least.

Before anything else could be said, River entered the room with Ian on her hip. He was yawning, indicating he had just awoken from his nap.

Amy stood up and took her son from the woman. "So what happened to the lie-down idea? Was he causing trouble?"

"No, I just realized I was more hungry than tired," River said with a chuckle. "This little fellow just happened to awake when I came to check on him and wouldn't let me go unless I took him with me."

Ian was even happier to see his mother, although his attention was soon drawn away by the new people in the room.

"So this must be Ian," Jack said fondly, his eyes twinkling.

Amy had a sudden thought. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Uh, no, that's fine. He looks content where he is," Jack said, a little uncomfortably. He didn't have the best experience with holding other people's babies. It usually ended up going horribly wrong for some reason.

Thankful for Jack's close proximity to her, Amy dealt him a swift kick under the table. He was about to protest about it when she looked pointedly at Jenny. _I'm trying to help you out here,_ her eyes told him.

"Come on, Jack. It's not like he's going to bite," Jenny spoke up, already having been captivated by what she realized now was her half-brother.

Jack smiled weakly and let Amy hand Ian to him. He needn't have been so worried, for the boy took to him well. He seemed to be fascinated by his earlobes and was pulling at them experimentally, although not unpleasantly.

"See. He likes you," Jenny said with a laugh.

"I suppose he's not so bad," Jack replied, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Amy watched them triumphantly, knowing babies had a near supernatural power over women. Jenny was as good as won over.

If only the Doctor were so simple.

* * *

**I have a thing for totally out-there pairings, apparently lol. Hope this one doesn't ruffle too many feathers.**

**Thanks for reading, reviews welcome! :)  
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	19. Sin Retorno

"You want to go where?"

Amy had pulled the Doctor aside after supper. Jenny had offered to clear away what was left and wash the table, which Jack had—a little too quickly—volunteered to assist her with.

"What? I've always wanted to go to the Bahamas. It'll be romantic."

"Oh yes, it will be very romantic with all six of us there together."

"Family outing?"

"Since when is Jack family?"

_He might be one day,_ Amy couldn't help thinking. She put on her best pout and slid her hands around his waist, hooking her thumbs in his belt loops. "Oh come on, Doctor, please. For me."

The Doctor knew the look was coming and tried to avoid it, but he was too late. It took only a few seconds for her to break him. She was becoming a master at it.

"Alright, alright. We'll go," the Doctor said with a sigh.

Amy's face broke into a grin. She thanked him with a kiss that chased every doubt he had about the trip far from his mind. At least until Jack found them.

"Get a room, you two," the man said with a devilish grin, ducking out again when the Time Lord made to chase after him.

"Same old Jack Harkness. I think I'm going to regret this," the Doctor remarked, shaking his head.

* * *

It was a deceptively peaceful night, a balmy breeze rustling through the fronds of the palm trees. In the distance the waves of the Atlantic crashed onto the beach, and a full mother-of-pearl moon cast its ghostly reflection on the restless waters below. The jungle beyond the sands of the island seemed innocent enough, but something sinister hid there in camouflage. A gray structure, hewn from the rock of a cliff face in the center of the jungle, could easily have been passed by if a tourist wished to stop and explore. Sometimes they did, although they soon wished they hadn't. Sin Retorno was true enough to its name; not many returned from it.

Robert and Doris Applebee of Muskogee, Oklahoma, a stout couple lacking a touch in common sense, found the name's formidable connotation laughable. Before setting off for the island they joked with their friends about capturing the so-called 'ghosts' singlehandedly, perhaps snap a few pictures.

Little did they know exactly how humorless their jaunt on the tiny island just off of Puerto Rico would become.

* * *

"Sir."

The room was pitch-black save the soft glow of phosphorescent stones embedded in the rock walls. A man—or rather, a being with the vague likeness of a man—stood at the far end of it. He wore a long ebony mantle, the hood of which was pulled down over his eyes, shadowing the stone-like face beneath. He turned to the one who addressed him, the fabric of his cloak making barely a sound as it rippled over the floor.

"What is it?" The creature's voice was like the soughing of wind in the trees, the last rattling breath before the soul leaves the body, the whisper of a cobra cutting through desert sand. It chilled the very bone of the human who looked upon him, but he kept his composure.

"Tourists, sir. A couple. Quite plump, if you get my meaning," said the man, scratching nervously at the skin just below the metal collar encircling is neck.

The creature grinned leeringly, splitting the face of stone in two and revealing horrendously pointed teeth. "Ah, a bedtime snack would do nicely right about now." He made a tsking noise. "Poor little humans. Quite an unfortunate spot to go on holiday, at least for them. Bring them to us."

The man bowed obediently and swiftly left the room.

Had anyone been sailing past the island at that time, they may have caught the faintest echo of Robert and Doris Applebee's terrified shrieks. But no one ever did, not anymore.

When the couple didn't return the next day, their friends contacted the police. Search parties were sent out, scouring every inch of Sin Retorno, but they found nothing. They concluded the American sightseers must have drowned and been carried off by the currents, and the case was left at that.

There were many mumblings of ghosts and demons afterward, but no one paid attention to the superstitions of locals. It was just another one of those mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. People disappeared all the time, in storms and accidents. Nothing strange or supernatural about it at all.

If only they knew how very wrong they were.

* * *

"Here we are!"

"Um, Doctor. Are you sure we're in the Bahamas?" Amy looked past her husband's gesturing hand at the exotic vista beyond. It looked accurate enough, but was quite obviously uninhabited. She had been hoping for a port of sorts, where there would be shops and booths to browse through, and perhaps some necklaces or colorful sarongs to buy.

"Sure I'm sure. Just look around! You've got palm trees, a bit of sand, some water. If that doesn't say Bahamas I don't know what does," the Doctor replied. He stepped out of the TARDIS and breathed deeply. "Smell that salty ocean breeze! Well, with a hint of dead fish, but it's not too bad if you don't pay attention to it."

"What a shame I didn't bring my swimming trunks. Got any I can borrow, Doctor?" Jack asked, stepping out after them.

"Er, I believe the TARDIS closet is fresh out of those. Sorry," said the Doctor. "Besides, no one wants to see all that anyway."

"I beg to differ," Jack remarked with a grin. He didn't bring it up again, however, as they started down the beach.

Although no one else was wearing swimwear, they had opted for warm-weather clothing. Amy wore a white eyelet halter dress and a floppy straw hat that the Doctor had insisted upon, along with the sandals he'd picked out for her after seeing the flip flops—which were, apparently, too much of a tripping hazard—she'd had on previously. River was dressed in linen shorts and a cool cotton button-up blouse—in red of course, her signature color. Jenny had raided the TARDIS closet and come out in jean shorts and a faded gray T-shirt. Miraculously she had managed to find a similar outfit for her baby brother, who she had volunteered to carry on her hip: something he was rather pleased about. Jack's greatcoat had been left behind in the TARDIS, and his shirtsleeves rolled up over his elbows. Like the Doctor he wore braces, but upon his exit from the time machine he shrugged them off and let them hang loose.

"You know, you time travelling fellas are a lot hotter when you go for the relaxed look," Amy told the Doctor in a low, teasing voice, hooking her arm through his. He was still fully dressed and hadn't even bothered to remove his stuffy tweed jacket.

The Doctor stopped walking and looked at her, clearly put off. "Don't you dare go fancying Jack Harkness, Amelia."

"Whoa, calm down there. I was just suggesting you take off a layer. It's a bit toasty out." Amy plucked at one of his braces. "Besides, why would I fancy him when I've got you?"

"Can't be too careful with him. He's got a history."

"Well maybe that'll change one day. When he meets the right one."

The Doctor snorted. "Don't count on it."

"You know, I have exceptional hearing. I can hear just about every word you're saying," Jack interrupted from behind them.

"What's that?" River suddenly broke off from the group and headed a little into the jungle, intent on the thing that had caught her attention. Curious, the others followed her.

It took a second to unearth the object from the muck of the jungle floor, but when she turned back towards them, she was holding a badly mutilated camera in her hands. Her blue-eyed gaze found the Doctor's. "What could have done this? And what happened to the owner?"

The Doctor went over the nearest tree, something in the bark having caught his eye. He ran his fingers over what appeared to be claw marks raked jaggedly into it. "Whatever it was, it can't be an animal. I haven't seen a creature on Earth with claws that could create this sort of mark."

"Then maybe it's a creature from somewhere else," Jenny suggested, looking excited at the prospect.

When the Doctor looked at her, it was as if through new eyes. "Right. Jenny, I want you to take Ian back to the TARDIS and stay there. Amy, you too."

"What, and miss all the action?" Jenny complained.

"Yeah, what she said," said Amy, looking equally disappointed.

"Listen, you lot. Whatever left these marks is probably—no, definitely—dangerous. I don't need anyone getting slashed to ribbons. Now get a move on."

There was a note of finality in the Doctor's voice, and the two women knew better than to argue. It was with a dejected air that they started back the way they'd come.

"Okay now. Let's find this beastie," said the Doctor, rubbing his hands together.

"I must say I've missed this," Jack commented cheerfully to River as they set off, looking like he'd just received the best present in the world.

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**So I've been thinking about it and I've decided braces is more fun of a word to use than suspenders. Just in case you noticed the change lol.**

**Hope you enjoyed, reviews welcome :)  
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	20. Hellhound

**Note: I originally meant for this to be in the Bahamas, but somehow**—**I'll blame the lateness of the hour**—**the island magically turned into a Spanish one instead. Thankfully Puerto Rico is part of the Bermuda Triangle in a way, so we'll just pretend Sin Retorno is some uninhabited island off its coast. I like problems that solve themselves :)**

**Enjoy, please review :)**

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At the edge of the jungle, Amy looked over her shoulder. After making sure the others were out of sight, she veered off in another direction heading away from the TARDIS.

"I thought we were going back," Jenny said, confused.

Amy turned to the girl, who had stopped and was glancing from the blue box on the beach to her. "Oh come on, Jenny. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"But the Doctor said…you saw what that thing did. I think there was even some blood on the camera," Jenny reminded. Her eyes flickered for a moment on Amy's stomach, brimming with concern for the welfare of the tiny life within.

"Psht, no one ever listens to the Doctor. Life can get rather dull when you have to sit around while the menfolk—er, and River—save the world."

Jenny didn't look entirely convinced, but it appeared she was tempted by the idea of an adventure. She was like her father in that respect.

"I know you want to find out what this thing is just as much as I do. I promise we won't get involved. Just a quick glimpse and we can go get the others. Like a scouting party," Amy said, her spirited eyes alight.

Jenny considered this. "Okay. But first sign of danger and we're out of there." An idea suddenly hit her. "Wait here. I'll be right back," she said, handing Ian off to Amy.

Blond ponytail swinging like a pendulum behind her, the girl jogged to the TARDIS and went inside. When she returned, she was carrying what looked like a compact handgun. "Taser gun. It won't kill anyone, but it will incapacitate someone for a few seconds, even knock them out on its highest setting if it's absolutely necessary."

"Where've you been hiding that?" Amy said, chuckling disbelievingly.

"Cargo pants have a lot of roomy pockets," Jenny answered with a shrug. She held the taser gun up. "Right then. Let's go."

The trek into the jungle was largely uneventful, so the two women passed the time with conversation.

"So what's the new baby to be called?" Jenny asked, whacking a couple low-hanging branches out of their way.

"We were going to name her Jenny, but I'm not sure about that now that you're here," Amy replied from behind her.

"How about Jenna? It's similar, but different enough," Jenny suggested. "And it's a bit like you're taking the first letter off of your name and putting it on the end of hers."

Amy thought about this. "Have to run it by the Doctor, but I do like that. Ian and Jenna." She smiled.

Jenny grinned in return. "I never imagined I'd have family past the Doctor. Last of the Time Lords, he'd said. Yet here you all are. It's nice, having something you've never even known before."

"Well I can tell he's glad to have you with him again. It must have killed him, thinking you were dead all that time."

"I only wish I'd healed sooner. All those years, all that pain. I could have spared him of that."

"Hey, the past is the past. You're here now, and that's all that matters."

"I suppose." Jenny was pensive for a moment. "You know, of all the dads I could have gotten in the universe, I'm happy I got him. Not many people can say their father is a centuries-old lord of time who goes around saving civilizations on planets across the galaxies."

"He is rather amazing sometimes. Irritating on occasion, and there's no denying his slight tendency to be a nutcase—honestly, he's a bit obsessive when it comes to chocolate ice cream, so watch out—but amazing, nevertheless."

Jenny laughed. "I still have so much to learn about him, and from him. We didn't have much of a chance for that last time. I'm so glad I ran into Jack."

Amy saw her opportunity and went for it. "Speaking of Jack, Jenny, what do you think of him?"

"Well he's nice, and funny, and a lot of fun to be around. He's got this life to him; he loves the thrill of a challenge. And he can be sweet, and a gentleman."

"So you like him, yeah?"

"Of course I like him but…Oh." Jenny's face turned a delicate shade of pink. "You mean, _like_ him like him."

"And?"

Jenny tucked a stray blond lock behind her ear, her gaze avoiding Amy's. "Um…"

"I knew it," Amy declared with a grin.

"You won't tell him, will you? He probably thinks of me as nothing more than a child."

"Maybe not. At least, I didn't get that impression when he was talking to me about you."

"Wait…so he feels the same way?" Jenny perked up at this, her light green eyes glowing hopefully.

"Course he does. He's just a little hesitant about acting on it with the Doctor around."

"You think Dad would be against it?"

"Well you are his daughter. And he is the Doctor. I'm sure he'd make some sort of fuss over it." Amy lowered her voice conspiratorially. "But I wouldn't let that stop me if I were you."

Jenny was about to respond when Amy suddenly gasped, her hand flying to her side. They both stopped in their tracks.

"Are you all right?" Jenny asked, a little alarmed.

"I'm fine; don't worry about me. It was just a stitch," Amy lied. The knife-like sensation soon subsided, and she straightened back up, switching Ian to her other hip. "Come on, then."

Jenny wasn't easily fooled. Her gaze darted at the jungle around them, which felt as if it was pressing in on them. "We should go back to the TARDIS. This wasn't a good idea," she announced authoritatively.

Before Amy could protest, a rustling in the underbrush interrupted them. On instinct Jenny backed up to shield her friend and half-brother, her finger curling around the taser's trigger. "This way," she whispered, grabbing Amy's free hand and pulling her into an enormous hollowed-out tree that was lying on its side a few feet away. Amy pulled Ian tightly into her chest, willing him to stay quiet. Fortunately, he seemed to be able to sense when silence was mandatory and didn't make a sound. The unusual family clung to each other, all five hearts thumping at a faster rate.

The rustling turned into crashing as the unseen strangers grew closer, and it was clear that there was more than one. After what felt like a millennia, three pairs of human feet appeared from the brush, only yards away from the hollow tree. They were covered by leather boots that looked sturdy enough to survive any form of terrain.

"They've got to be around here somewhere. The hound picked up the scent only seconds ago, and it has to be fresh," one of the owners of the boots said, his voice heavily accented.

"Funny thing about it is the beast usually tracks them down in an instant. Something's confusing it," said the second man.

"What could confuse that demon?" Asked his cohort, his tone anxious.

"A conflicting scent, for one. It must be interfering with the human smell it's been trained to hunt," the first surmised.

The man's words were closely followed by an unearthly howl in the distance. Seconds later another man entered the clearing, struggling to keep a hold of the chain in his hands. Tethered to the opposite end of it was a monstrous creature, with an appearance only vaguely akin to that of a dog. It was enormous—its head came up to the man's elbow—and every inch of its lean, gray-pelted body rippled with muscles. The head was gargoyle-like, with sharply pointed ears, small, mean crimson eyes, flared nostrils, and curved yellow teeth reminiscent of a saber-toothed tiger's. A growl rumbled in its throat, making Jenny tighten her grip on the taser and wish she'd brought something a bit bigger.

"They must have moved to another part of the jungle. Come on," the man holding the leash announced. The hound plunged ahead of him, gigantic claws turning up the earth like pitchforks.

As the sound of footsteps and the hound's thundering paws receded, Jenny and Amy began to breathe easier.

And then the direction of the wind changed. A howl echoed through the trees.

"RUN!" Jenny shouted, shoving Amy and Ian out of the hollow tree.

Amy didn't need to be told twice. Hugging her whimpering son as close to her body as she could, she took off. Nevertheless her speed was hindered, and the hound's baying was getting nearer. It would be upon them in no time.

Realizing this, Jenny skidded to a stop and turned towards the approaching beast, planting her feet. She raised the taser gun and took aim. As soon as the alien hound was in range, she fired three times on the highest setting.

The electric shocks caught the creature square in the chest, and it plowed face-first into the ground. For a moment Jenny thought it was down for the count, but apparently its immense size was in its favor. A moment later the hound raised its head, disoriented until it located its target. It snarled and raised its hackles.

Knowing better than to hesitate, Jenny started running again. She easily caught up with Amy, but the hound was gaining on them already. There was no escape.

"DOCTOR!" Amy shouted in desperation, her cry echoing throughout the jungle.


	21. the Petramals

Nearby, the Doctor, Jack, and River were hiking up an incline when they heard Amy call out.

"Not again!" the Doctor groaned before racing in the direction the shout originated from, River and Jack close at his heels.

Somewhere in the middle the two parties crashed into each other. Amy yelped, taking a second to realize that it wasn't someone coming to finish them off.

"Doctor!" Winded, the ginger-haired girl gasped for breath. "It's a dog, Doctor. A great big alien dog!"

The Doctor didn't have time to respond before their pursuers burst into the clearing, the aforementioned beast straining at his leash and foaming at the mouth. Upon their arrival he pushed Amy behind him, where the others instantly formed a protective wall around her. It was obvious that running was out of the question.

"Hello there! Lovely day, don't you think?" The Doctor said in a pleasant tone, addressing the hunting party. They all shared the same deeply-tanned skin, dark hair, and prominent bone structure that was the product of a Spanish heritage, and they were dressed in khaki-green uniforms and what seemed to be standard-issue boots. Seven in total, they carried guns and none-too-friendly expressions on their faces. Each of them wore a strange metal collar around their necks, fitted close to the skin in a way that suggested removal would not be a simple affair.

"Doctor, something gives me the idea they're not of the mind to be social at the moment," River remarked, her hand automatically reaching for a blaster that wasn't there.

The Doctor ignored her. He pulled out his wallet containing the psychic paper and flashed it at the mustachioed man at the front of the group, who seemed to be in charge of the operation. "Name's the Doctor. I'd like to speak to your boss, if that isn't too much trouble. Big rock-looking fellow, am I right? Nasty set of chompers, though."

The man looked a little taken aback, his beady black eyes wide in surprise. Behind him, the hound was still pulling at his restraint, eager to tear into its prey.

"That's right, I know what he is. There's only one race that keeps creatures like that for pets. Now take me to him, if you please." It wasn't a request.

The man with the mustache seemed to be trying to decide. At last he pressed a button on his collar.

"Sir, I apologize for bothering you, sir. But the victims are requesting an audience with you. And there was something going on with the hound, sir. It didn't recognize their scent."

There was a pause, and then it looked as if the man was listening to something. "Yes, sir. Right away."

The man pointed his gun at the Doctor. "Move," he commanded, gesturing with the weapon's barrel towards the north of the island. His fellows moved around the Doctor and his companions in order to prevent an escape. All together they proceeded in the northern direction.

"Well I'm pretty sure we can confirm this isn't the Bahamas," Amy muttered to the Doctor, noting their captors' Latino traits.

"Amy, does everything I say to you go in one ear and out the other?" The Doctor asked.

"About forty-eight percent of it, yeah."

"So I assume that my instruction to go back to the TARDIS and stay there wasn't included in the remaining fifty-two percent."

"Most likely."

"Amelia." The Doctor sighed in exasperation.

"Listen, I'm really sorry. It's just…there was something about this place, like a mystery waitin' to be solved, and I couldn't ignore it. Believe me, even Jenny tried to get me to go back."

"Poor Jenny; she had no idea what she was up against." The Doctor grinned, albeit weakly. "Regardless, this isn't a safe place for you or the children. The aliens we're about to meet—they're heartless beings, Amy. I don't want anything happening to any of you."

"So they are aliens. I knew it," Amy whispered eagerly, a spark in her eyes.

The Doctor looked down at her, his eyes flitting over her pretty face, which was currently flushed with excitement. His gaze slid down to the child in her arms and her swollen belly. He couldn't blame her for wanting to explore; he knew he would have done the same in her shoes. But he did wish she would realize the gravity of the situation, understand what losing her and their son and daughter would do to him.

Amy seemed to read some of this in his face, for the excitement suddenly faded. She slipped her hand into his. "Hey, I'll be alright. We'll be alright. No matter what happens. Besides, how bad can rock people be?"

"Petramals, Amy. And they can be bad. Actually, they're one of the worst."

"I think we can take 'em," Amy told him indifferently. The Doctor chuckled at the unwavering confidence in her voice. She was always up for a challenge, no matter how dangerous. But of course, that was one of the reasons he couldn't stop loving her.

The hunters took them to the very heart of the island, where the ground sloped up to meet a cliff. Their leader stopped the procession at the face of the cliff, where he pressed his hand into a crevice in the rock. There was a scraping noise as an expanse of stone in the shape of a door receded into the cliff, revealing a dark tunnel beyond.

"Creepy. You guys ever consider hiring an interior decorator?" Jack said as they walked through the tunnel, which was dank with moisture and adorned with cobwebs. He received no answer from the hunters, whose shadowed faces remained expressionless. "Guess not."

The passageway began to narrow, forcing its occupants to walk in a single-file line. Amy fell behind the Doctor, and River behind her, leaving Jack and Jenny at the back. Amy started to wonder if River had noticed the attraction between the two and decided to help it along as well, but her train of thought was immediately interrupted by the return of the stabbing pain in her side. She pressed her lips together tightly to prevent herself from crying out, but the falter in her step was unavoidable.

"Here, let me hold him for a while," River said, believing that Amy had merely stumbled over the uneven floor. Without waiting for a response she removed the subdued Ian from his relieved mother's arms.

The tunnel opened out at last into a sort of entry hall carved out of the cliff, with ramps of stone leading up to other levels. The broadest of these they climbed until they reached a floor sealed off from the others by a slate wall, a section of which pulled up into the ceiling when it was approached. The man with the hound was the only one who stayed behind, branching off in a direction that would presumably take him to the monster's kennel. Although it was a relief to see it go—Amy hadn't been fond of how it seemed especially inclined to her, most likely due to the fact she would make a double meal—but she couldn't shake the feeling that what they were heading for was much worse.

Behind the slate door was a vast cavern, completely dark save a dim light emanating from stones in the walls. At the far end of it stood a group of hooded beings, apparently engaged in some sort of serious conference.

"Sirs; the victims," said the mustachioed hunter.

At this, the mysterious figures turned towards their visitors. The tallest of them, distinctive from the others owing to the jewel-ornamented chain draped across his chest, strode forward, soliciting gasps as soon as his face was visible. It appeared to have been cut from the rock of the cliff itself, and the glittering eyes were no consolation.

"Ah, the strange ones." The rock-man sniffed the air through slits that looked as if they had been unskillfully drilled in above his craggy mouth. "I see now why the hound was confused. You smell not of the human race." He remarked in a voice that matched his appearance, addressing the Doctor.

"Well truthfully you don't smell particularly rosy either, so we'll call it a draw," the Doctor said, his tone just as relaxed as if he was back in the TARDIS having his midday tea. "Let's see; Petramal, eh? Haven't seen one of you lot in quite a while, although maybe that's just as well. And controlling humans with obedience collars; that's new. It'd probably save you money on food if you kept them and got rid of the hound, you know."

"So you are also not of this world, I see," The Petramal leader deduced with a hint of interest, noting his prisoner's knowledge of the unusual extraterrestrial race he belonged to.

"Guilty as charged. Course, I don't run around on defended planets eating people. Picky eater, I suppose," the Doctor said.

"_Eatin'_ people?" Amy hissed behind him, her breath warm on his neck. Exploring the island suddenly seemed like the worst idea in the world.

"We have no choice. Our food supply on our home planet became extinct decades ago, and we've been roaming the stars ever since in search of similar prey. Human meat is easiest to come by," said the Petramal.

"Ever tried animals before?" The Doctor suggested. "I can personally recommend the yak. Also, they're not all that bright and are least likely to retaliate with a gun or what have you."

The stone man shook his shrouded head. "Too much of an aftertaste. Now, I fear I have become quite bored of you, strange one. My brothers are hungry."

In response the posse of Petramals swept up behind their leader like starved vultures, their eyes glowing greedily as they advanced upon the time travelers. Amy's grip tightened on her husband's arm.

"This is about the time where you come up with a really good idea, Doctor," River prodded sharply, edging back with the others only to find the way blocked by a wall of hunters.

"Usually, yes. Looks like we're going to have to settle for the next best thing," answered the Doctor. "Jack, distraction!"

"Thought you'd never ask," Jack replied. He whipped around and grabbed two guns from the unsuspecting hunters, proceeding to fire them haphazardly at the walls, ceiling and floor and creating and almighty din. Jenny joined him a moment later, tasering everyone who tried to stop them.

"Off we go, ladies first!" The Doctor announced, pushing River and Amy ahead of him through the slate door, which had slid up automatically. "Jenny, come on!" He shouted, waving towards the doorway.

"Coming Dad!" Jenny chirped, dealing a roundhouse kick to a hunter who made the foolish decision to stand in her way. She was shortly followed by Jack, who kept shooting until the door slid in place behind him.

They were not, however, in the clear just yet. At the sound of the cacophony the Doctor's companions had caused, more men wearing obedience collars came running, some of them shouting for the hound to be fetched. But they were no match for Jack and Jenny, who made quite a team as they cut a path through the throng with nothing more than two guns and a taser. The escapees sprinted into the tunnel and burst out of the cliff into daylight, startling a flock of tropical birds.

The hunters were right behind them, but the first two to exit the opening in the cliffside were instantly felled when Jack tossed his borrowed guns at them.

"Thanks for the loan!" The man yelled in amusement at the unfortunate pair, whooping like an idiot as he took off after his friends.

They were halfway to the beach, freedom so close they could almost smell it, when a third sharp pain even worse than the last brought Amy down. She tumbled down the gently-sloping jungle floor, landing quite painfully on all fours. She tried to get up, but another pain stabbed through her midsection, making her crumple back to the ground.

"AMY!" The Doctor shouted, doubling back as quickly as he could. But he was still too far away when the hunters thundered into sight, weapons at the ready.

"Keep going! I've got her," yelled Jack, who was closer. He dropped to his knees beside Amy and threw an arm around her to help her up. When the Doctor hesitated, plainly torn, he added, "You're the one with the TARDIS key, Doctor. Now go! We'll meet you there."

Reluctantly the Doctor heeded him, knowing it would be seconds before the hunters were upon them and all would be lost. He did pause one last time before disappearing between the trees, however, to see Jack pull something out of his pocket—his vortex manipulator—and slip it onto his wrist. He grabbed a hold of Amy, and in a flash they were gone, just as the hunters converged on the spot where they'd been sitting only a moment before.

"They'll be fine, Dad. Now run!" Jenny urged, sliding her hand into her father's and pulling him along with her. The Doctor complied, trying to convince himself she was right the entire way back.

But when they reached the TARDIS and piled inside, Jack and Amy weren't anywhere to be found. The Doctor's heart plunged like the slate door of the Petramals' hideaway.

"Doctor, we have to take off. Those creatures may very well be on their way, and I know the TARDIS has excellent defenses but we're not entirely sure what they're capable of," River reminded him, attempting to soothe Ian at the same time, who had become less calm after the disappearance of his mother.

"No. Amy's still out there," the Doctor said firmly.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but she's right. We don't have to go far; maybe just the opposite end of the island or something," Jenny said. "Jack will find us, I'm sure. He's good at that."

"I'm not losing her." The Doctor's voice shook with emotion.

"I'm so very sorry, but this has to be done." River told him regretfully. Before the Time Lord could ask what she meant, the woman handed Ian to Jenny and made a dash for the console.

"No!" The Doctor shouted, going after her.

He was too late. River's study of the TARDIS's manual had paid off, for the glass-like rotor of the central column was already beginning to bob up and down. The ship was in flight.

Defeated, the Doctor slumped in the chair nearest to him, face in his hands. If Jack didn't come through, he was fully prepared to wring his neck and wished that it would actually kill him for once.

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**Okay so please don't get too mad at me for the repeating cliffhangers. Chapters just always seem to end well with them lol.**

**The name 'Petramal' was created from the Latin 'petra mala', which means bad, or evil, rock.**

**Thanks for reading, please review :)  
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	22. Islands Apart

**Hope you enjoy, reviews loved :)**

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Jack and Amy toppled out of thin air into what appeared to be another jungle, one quite a bit denser and than the one they had just left. There were more sounds of wildlife here; where they'd been before it was as if the animals had sensed the evil that lived there and had mostly hidden themselves away.

"Amy! You alright?" Jack asked, pulling the girl's flaming hair out of her face.

Amy shook her head, agony written into her features and every movement she made. She had curled herself into a ball with her arms around her stomach, as if making herself smaller would ease the pain. "Of all the times she could have come, she picks _now_," she said through clenched teeth.

Jack's heart began thumping faster as a sense of alarm swept over him. "Don't tell me you've gone into labor. _Please_ don't tell me that."

"Fine, I won't tell you," Amy managed to get out before another contraction sent a scream tearing from her throat.

Jack Harkness had been through many things. He'd fought Daleks, encountered the Futurekind, helped defeat the Toclafane, and died a million deaths in the process, but all that had been nothing compared to this. In his mind, there wasn't anything more terrifying than the concept of childbirth. Not to mention he was the only one around to help her and couldn't have been any less qualified.

"Okay. Okay, we can handle this. Just have to get back to the TARDIS and everything will be fine," Jack reasoned, trying to remain calm. He began typing codes into his vortex manipulator, but before he had made much progress the device showered sparks everywhere and began smoking most discouragingly. "No! Piece of junk!" He yelled at it, ripping it from his wrist and throwing it at the roots of a nearby tree.

"We have to get back, Jack. I can't do this without the Doctor," Amy told him fervently.

"I know. Don't worry, I'll figure it out," Jack said, hoping there was nothing in his tone that betrayed his doubt. He raked his fingers through his hair and stood up, his eyes roving over his surroundings. He traversed a ways into the jungle in search of someone, anyone, who could help, but was unsuccessful. Amy frantically crying out for him immediately brought him back to her side. She gripped his hand, and he had to clamp down on his tongue to keep himself from yelling as his circulation was cut off by her whitening fingers, her nails cutting in so hard he was sure he'd have permanent scars from them.

"Oh!" Amy suddenly said during a brief lull between contractions. "The compact communicator. You brought it just in case we decided to separate, remember?"

"I completely forgot!" Jack exclaimed, wasting no time in digging the device out of his pocket with his free hand. "Let's just hope we aren't too far away; it doesn't get the best signal. Guess that's what I get from ordering from the intergalactic eBay, although they did give me free shipping." Jack pressed a button on the communicator. "Doctor, are you there? Anyone?"

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Back on the TARDIS, the Doctor suddenly became aware of a beeping noise coming from the inside pocket of his jacket. River and Jenny watched curiously as he reached in and pulled out a device that looked like a miniature version of River's communicator.

"Of course! Brilliant!" The Doctor crowed excitedly, pressing the receiver button. "Jack?"

"Doctor!" Despite the static from a bad connection, Jack's relief was evident.

"Where are you, Jack? Is Amy alright?" The Doctor questioned anxiously.

"Not sure. It's a jungle, just not the same one. Let me tell you, I'm getting mighty sick of 'em."

"And what about Amy?"  
"Yeah, about that. She's kind of…well basically…she's in labor, Doctor." As if to enforce this, a scream echoed in the background.

The Doctor almost dropped the communicator. All the blood drained from his face. "Jack, I need to know where you are. Now!"

"Wish I knew. The vortex manipulator fizzled out as soon as we got here."

"I _told_ you to stop using those! You lot really need to start listening to me."

"Psht, no one ever listens to you. Not to be rude or anything; it's just a matter of fact." Another shriek from Amy reminded Jack of the issue at hand. "Can't you get a fix on the communicator signal, Doctor? I don't exactly have experience as a midwife, you know."

"I can try, but I'm not sure if it will work. Where did you get this rubbish, the black market?"

"Intergalactic eBay."

"Even worse." The Doctor sighed. He leapt over to the TARDIS console and extracted a cord from it, the end of which he plugged into a dock on the communicator. At first it seemed like it was working—the rotor began moving up and down as the ship shook—but then there was a sound like an engine stalling, and the rotor slowed. "Come on," the Doctor coaxed, pulling a lever. His efforts, however, were fruitless.

"The signal's not strong enough." The Time Lord's voice had lost its drive. They had nothing else.

"We can't just give up. There's got to be something else we can do. There's always something," Jenny announced determinedly.

The Doctor shook his head.

* * *

Memory often fades with the passing of time, but Amy was almost positive that bringing Ian into the world hadn't been quite this painful. Tears leaked out of her eyes, dampening her hair and the leaves that pillowed her head. Jack had given her the communicator so that she could talk to the Doctor when she was able, to distract her in what little way it could. In the steadiest voice the Doctor could muster he told her how much he loved her, reminded her of good times they'd shared, trying to make her laugh with every amusing memory he could think of. Eventually, however, the contractions grew so close that talking was beyond her, and Jack took possession of the communicator once more.

"Well I can tell you one thing; she's got a grip that would put the strongest arm wrestler to shame. If I lose my hand it'll be your fault," Jack said in an attempt to lighten up the mood. It didn't work too well.

"Listen, Jack. I'm going to keep trying to enhance the signal. Just do the best you can."

"Aye aye, sir." Jack set the communicator aside and focused on Amy. As the minutes lengthened, beads of sweat broke out from her forehead and intermingled with the tears pouring down her already-splotchy face. Her chest was heaving, and every breath she took shuddered through her entire body.

Hours were passing by, and there was still no luck on the TARDIS's end. Jack had torn off the edge of his shirt and was using it to sponge Amy's forehead, which was now resting in his lap. He had noticed that her belly was gradually changing shape but did his best not to think about what was happening further down. He figured it was important that he remained conscious.

"I'm gonna die this time, Jack. I just know it," Amy whispered, her voice long since used up on screams and curses.

"No you're not, Amy. You're going to be fine. The Doctor will be here soon." Jack had been repeating this for the past few hours, his mouth already dry. He needed her to believe it, because if she lost her will, then she was done for. He told herself she really would be fine—after all, there were women in parts of the world who did this by themselves all the time. But then again, the children they had weren't part alien.

* * *

On the other end of the communicator, the Doctor was leaning against the console for support, utterly defeated. It was like living his worst nightmare; Amy dying in childbirth while he was unable to do anything about it. The battery on Jack's communicator had long since run down, severing the only link he had to her.

Hours earlier Ian, who had been wailing his little head off, had been removed to the nursery by River, leaving Jenny behind to witness her father's anguish. The girl couldn't help experiencing it with him, for she had grown close to Amy over the time they'd spent together. Not to mention that Jack was lost as well, and the possibility of never seeing him again left a hole in her heart of surprising proportions.

"I'm such a fool, Jenny. I shouldn't have gotten attached to her, should have stayed away. You think I would have learned by now," the Doctor muttered when his daughter wrapped her arms comfortingly around his waist.

"Oi, don't go talking like that. You know what they say; better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. And you can't just give up on people. I came back, after all."

The Doctor kissed the crown of her blonde head but said nothing. He still felt a sense of guilt, but nevertheless her words were a balm to him.

* * *

Jack felt like keeling over from exhaustion. He had never considered how long it took to bring a new life into the world, or just how much pain it caused when he wasn't even the one doing it. There was a crick in his neck that refused to be massaged out, and he had lost just about all feeling in the hand Amy was clinging to.

And then, without warning, Amy's grip slackened.

"Amy?" Jack was instantly alert. Although it was a reprieve to have his abused hand back, the fact that she had let go wasn't a good sign. "Amy!"

"Take care of her for me…Jack," Amy said hoarsely, the light in her eyes extinguishing as they slid shut, her head falling to the side. The movement of her chest began to still.

"No!" Jack shouted. He felt her pulse, pressed his ear against her chest. Nothing.

"Oh no you don't," he told her, parting her lips to administer CPR.

And so began the fight for Amelia Pond's life.


	23. Small Miracles

**So I figure I must be evil deep down, because I slightly enjoy freaking you guys out with cliffhangers.**

**I apologize.**

**Even though it's still fun.**

**Anyway...  
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**Hope this chapter makes things a little better, and I shall not, with any luck, be chased down with torches and pitchforks.**

**Ahem.**

**Enjoy, please review :)**

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Night had settled like a curtain over the jungle, silencing the population of creatures that weren't nocturnal. The two women materialized from the depths of the black ocean, the careful, muted placement of their bare, webbed feet in the sand suggesting familiarity with the terrain. Their skin was a smooth brown and their springy black hair was cut like a halo around their heads. They wore dripping sarongs of seaweed-green, vibrant shells dangling from their earlobes and serving as armlets and anklets. The identical pair could have easily been mistaken for Bahamian natives if not for their startling eyes, which shimmered a multitude of colors depending on the lighting and resembled those of a frog.

"Make haste, Sister. I can feel her soul leaving," one of the women said to the other.

"Yes, I feel it too," her sister said with a nod, quickening her pace. The twins moved easily betwixt the trees, like forest spirits, until they reached the clearing where the man endeavored in vain to resuscitate his companion.

Jack became aware of the women almost before they appeared as if from the night itself.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He demanded, pulling the nonresponsive Amy closer to him.

"I am Mahree, and this is my sister Nia. We're here to help," said one of the women softly, the aquamarine stud in her nose the only thing that distinguished her from her twin.

Although Jack was hesitant to accept their assistance, he reasoned there was no way they could inflict harm on Amy now. Reluctantly he laid his charge gently on the ground and backed away.

The sisters worked quickly, Nia serving as midwife while Mahree sat cross-legged near Amy's head and waited.

A moment later, Jenna's first wail rent the silence. She was a red, wrinkled little thing, wet with substances Jack didn't want to contemplate because it would unsettle his stomach. But one thing he did note with amusement was the child's orange hair, which became more vivid as Nia dried it with the sash she'd been wearing around her waist.

The baby's arrival, apparently, was what Mahree had been waiting for. She placed a hand—which, Jack was surprised to see, was also webbed—over the ginger's stilled heart. A charge of electricity exploded from her fingertips and made Amy's chest jump, simulating defibrillation.

"Hold up there," Jack ordered, moving forward to stop her.

"It is alright. Look," said Mahree tranquilly.

Amy suddenly gasped for breath, her heart starting to beat on its own accord. Disoriented, she looked up at Jack, eyes hooded with exhaustion.

"Oh thank God," Jack breathed, gathering her up into a hug. She smiled but, knowing her lack of strength, didn't try to speak.

"We must move her and the child to a safer location. There are animals in this jungle that wouldn't mind making a meal out of the both of them," Mahree proposed.

"Agreed." Jack still didn't entirely trust these strange beings, but they had just saved two lives. He stood, Amy in his arms. "Lead the way, ladies."

With Nia carrying Jenna, who was squawking much less now, the group journeyed through the jungle and down the white beach beyond. They stopped in the surf, and Mahree clasped her hands around her mouth to make a sound that mimicked a whale. When nothing happened, Jack started to question her sanity, but a second later a craft with a glass cockpit and metal fins like that of a fish surfaced. The top half of the cockpit lifted to admit them.

"We're going in that?" Jack asked uncertainly, eying the vessel.

"There is no other alternative. You cannot breathe underwater," Nia informed matter-o-factly.

"And you can?"

"Yes."

Jack looked at the woman and noted for the first time the gills on either side of her and her sister's neck, just behind their ears.

"Of course; stupid question," Jack remarked. Retaining a firm hold on Amy, who was slipping in and out of sleep, he stepped into the dubious-looking mode of transportation. A circular, blue-velvet, cushioned seat ran along the wall of the glass bubble, and it was in the middle of this Jack sank, laying Amy down next to him.

The amphibious twins sat on either side of them, and the glass dome closed automatically. Despite its lack of a captain, the vessel descended into the ocean, following some sort of predetermined route. It passed by shipwrecks of bygone eras; a ghostly graveyard of unfortunate sailors.

"Is the woman your wife?" Nia asked curiously and without pretense, expertly rocking Jenna. The child, who did not yet know that a frog-like person wasn't exactly normal, began to fall asleep.

"What, Amy? No! Most definitely not. We got separated from her husband, you see."

"Back on the island?" Asked Mahree.

"No. Not that one, at least. Actually, I'm not exactly sure which one he's on."

"When we get to the city, perhaps we can help you locate him," Nia suggested.

"City? What city?"

"We're coming upon it now." Mahree beckoned towards the ocean before them. "Behold; Atlantis."

Jack's jaw dropped. Coming nearer every second was a complex network of towers and spires, constructed from glass and coral. Stately porticos jutted out from structures fused together by walkways, built high above the ocean floor. The supposedly mythical city was an architectural masterpiece.

The vessel began to slow, sliding into a dock that extended out from one of the buildings. Once secured, the dock began to retract back inside the structure, taking the ship with it. A watertight door sealed them inside, and the water systematically drained out. With a hiss that indicated depressurization, the glass hatch lifted.

"Come along, sir," Mahree said, stepping out onto the smooth limestone dock.

"It's Jack, ma'am. Captain Jack Harkness," Jack informed her.

Mahree dipped her head. "Captain," she acknowledged before setting off.

Jack followed the Atlantean sisters from the underwater harbor into what looked very much like a waiting room. It was circular and surrounded by glass, and at the center of it was an enormous fish tank that served as a supporting column.

"My daughters! Your mission was successful, I presume?"

The man who spoke was older, with a long, graying beard. He shared Mahree and Nia's froglike eyes and brown skin, and there were laugh lines etched into his face. He was dressed in an indigo kaftan and was also barefoot.

"Yes, Father. But the female needs tending to," Mahree answered.

"Ah, so I see. Bring her this way, young man," the man instructed, gesturing for Jack to follow him.

"Lesidi—that's Father—is the best medicine man in Atlantis," Nia explained.

"Medicine man?" The skepticism in Jack's voice was hard to miss.

"Don't worry; father's no voodoo doctor, if that is what you think. He's a healer," Mahree said, understanding what he was thinking.

Slightly reassured, Jack followed the twins' father to a softly-lit chamber that seemed to be a more comfortable version of a hospital ward. There he laid her on a bedlike gurney and left Lesidi to work his medical magic, returning to the sisters.

"I know she's not your child, but would you like to hold her?" Nia asked Jack, holding Jenna out to him.

Jack looked at the little bundle wrapped in the sash, noticing how much smaller and more delicate she was than her brother. "Um, thanks but no thanks. She looks pretty happy with you," he refused.

"I promise she is not as fragile as she appears," Nia said with a tinkling laugh.

Somehow, Jack found himself sitting in one of the padded coralline chairs by the fish tank, the miniature wonder that belonged to the Doctor and Amy lying quite contentedly in his arms. Grinning, he gently rubbed the newborn's down-like ginger hair between his fingers, wondering what her parents would have to say when they saw it. Jenna's eyes were the midnight blue that was bound to eventually change, capable of going either way as far as color was concerned. They were focused on Jack's face and seemed to be examining every inch of it, her little brow furrowed and her satiny, rose-pink lips puckered in a way that reminded him of her mother.

"All the boys are going to be after you in no time," Jack chuckled. Just then Jenna yawned in a way that would make anyone's heart melt, and Jack suddenly felt wrong about being the second one to hold her. That was the Doctor's honor, not his, and it was for this reason that he grudgingly handed the child back to Nia.

"Now, about finding your friend, Captain. Can you tell us anything about the island on which you last saw him?" Mahree asked as she and her sister settled into the wicker settee across from their guest.

"Well, the people we ran into there seemed to have some Spanish in them," Jack told her.

Mahree nodded. "That could mean it was off Cuba or Puerto Rico, but it still leaves us many choices."

"There was something else there too, a race of rock-like people. Petramals, If I recall correctly."

At the mention of this name, both Mahree and Nia bristled.

"Petramals are the Atlanteans' worst enemy. We have sworn to protect this portion of Earth we landed in thousands of years ago, and if they are preying on humans—"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure they are, so feel free to wipe them out for us later. Right now, though, we need to find my friend," Jack said urgently.

The sisters looked at each other and took a deep breath, putting aside their anger for the time being.

"When were you last in contact with this man?" Mahree inquired.

Several hours ago, about when Amy started labor. I was using this until the battery died." Jack pulled the communicator from his pocket. "He tried to boost the signal in order to track it, but it wasn't strong enough."

Mahree took the device from Jack and inspected it. "I can see why. It is rather primitive."

"Hey now," Jack protested defensively.

"But if the signal was enhanced on both ends…" the unusual woman placed her hand over the communicator, and an electric charge like the one that had saved Amy shot from her palm into its inner workings. Jack was almost sure it was going to explode, but somehow the cheap gadget held together.

And then, as if by a miracle, a sound Jack had sorely missed—the wheezing of a time machine's brakes being left on—filled the room.

* * *

**Before you devoted Doctor Who fans tell me they already did Atlantis back during the old Doctor Who series, I shall simply inform you this is another civilization that has the same name. Besides, they've already contradicted themselves; I checked Wikipedia and there were two episodes involving Atlantis that weren't connected. Interesting.**

**Now for the names. Mahree I actually borrowed from the Color of Friendship, an old Disney Channel show in which there was a South African exchange student with that name. I thought it fit the character, especially since most names involving 'mare' mean 'ocean'. Nia is a twist on Naiad, which is a water sprite. Lesidi is a South African name meaning 'light'. Obviously, I couldn't find a list of popular names in the Bahamas so I had to look elsewhere lol.  
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	24. Ginger and Fire

**WARNING: Extreme fluffiness. Read at your own risk.**

**Anyway, it's a little short, but I wanted this part to stand on its own.**

**Enjoy, reviews are love :)**

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Something was beeping. Pulling himself up from the floor where he'd been sitting dejectedly, the Doctor snatched up the communicator.

"I thought the battery in the other one ran down," Jenny remarked, mildly confused, coming to stand next to him.

"He must have found a way to charge it, the clever fellow," the Doctor said excitedly, momentarily forgetting the contempt he harbored for Jack Harkness. "And we have a signal!"

"But is it strong enough?" Jenny questioned.

"Seems to be. Now hold on tight!" With a new spring in his step, the Doctor darted around the TARDIS console, pulling this lever and that. The time machine began to shudder, and this time the rotor didn't stop. Jenny laughed gleefully at the sight of it and hugged her father, almost knocking the both of them over as the TARDIS landed.

Spurred on by the idea of seeing his wife again, the Doctor raced for the door, barreling through it as soon as he had gotten it open. The first person he sighted was Jack.

"Jack Harkness, you complete idiot!" The Doctor shouted, although there was very little malice in his voice. He loped across the room and grabbed the man by the shoulders. "Where's Amy? Is she okay, is she still alive? How's the baby?" He demanded hurriedly.

"Dad." Jenny's voice was soft, but it caught the Doctor's attention. He turned to his eldest daughter before Jack could get one word out and followed her gaze. His eyes landed on the bundle in Nia's arms, took notice of the ginger hair peaking over the sash.

Everything and everyone in the room suddenly dissolved from his sight. Everyone except that tiny creature. Slowly he approached her, taking in the soft, creamy skin, the flaming ginger hair, the curious expression he'd seen elsewhere many times. Nia, who knew well enough that this was the father at last, placed the baby into his waiting arms.

"Hello there," the Doctor murmured, already falling in love with the little Time Lady.

"I thought you should know; before, Amy and I were talking about how it'd be better if she were called Jenna, so as not to get us confused. She was going to run it by you but never got the chance," Jenny told him.

"Of course, yes. It's perfect," the Doctor replied. Truthfully he would have agreed to calling the newborn Gertrude merely if Amy had thought it a good name.

Presently River appeared and, after falling to pieces over the new arrival, introduced the interested Ian to his younger sister. After the correct passage of time Jenny requested to hold her, and the Doctor carefully surrendered Jenna to her.

"You can come with me, sir, if you wish to see your wife," Mahree instructed. With one last lingering look at Jenna, the Doctor complied.

* * *

Amy was sleeping soundly in the medical ward, two blankets tucked around her smaller frame. She reminded the Doctor of a broken china doll. Her skin was pallid, her veins showing behind her eyelids, and there was a clear tube running from her nose to an oxygen machine that was surprisingly high-tech.

"Oh, Amy." The Doctor pressed his lips to her forehead and closed his eyes, relishing the ability to touch her again. In response she inhaled deeply as one does right before waking, and he moved away, not wanting to disturb her.

Regardless, Amy's eyes fluttered open and strained to focus. When they found him, her complexion lost some of its deathliness.

"Thought you were finally rid of me, eh?" She said, her voice cracking but unmistakably laced with the old fire. The Doctor laughed, resting his forehead against hers. And then, unexpectedly, he was crying.

Amy's hands reached up and gripped his lapels expertly, guiding him down on the bed beside her. Making sure to avoid the oxygen tube, he rested his head on her chest, and she stroked her fingers through his floppy brown hair and wiped away his tears.

"Sorry, it's just…I thought you were dead," the Doctor said, regaining his composure.

"I thought I was too. I shouldn't have…given up so easily."

"Don't say that. Don't ever say that, Amy." The Doctor sat up, a seriousness in his eyes. "Do you know how many human women over the course of history have died giving birth to Time Lords? And here you are, having survived two! I've said it a million times and I'll say it once more: You're magnificent, Amy Pond."

"You have to say that. You're married to me."

"I actually mean it, though. Cross my hearts."

Amy smiled and traced her thumb over the contours of his hand. Her other hand rested absentmindedly on her middle, and the smile faded.

"Jenna! Is she…"

"Alive and well? Course she is; has her mum's spirit already." The Doctor grinned. "Want to meet her?"

"More than anything."

The Doctor leapt off the bed and scampered out of the room, returning moments later with a snugly-wrapped bundle roughly the size Ian had been at that age.

Not wanting to be encumbered by the oxygen tube—which was no longer needed anyway—Amy removed it and stretched out her arms to take her daughter.

"Oh dear." Amy muttered, gazing down at the child with the very look Jenna had given the Doctor earlier.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ginger."

"What's the matter with ginger? I've always wanted to be ginger, but it insists on eluding me no matter how many times I've regenerated. I love ginger."

"That's all good and well for you, but honestly it's a bit of a curse. She'll have a time of it not getting overly freckled, and then having to deal with everyone making some sort of joke out of it, saying she's going to have a hot temper and whatnot."

"Of course she'll have a temper; she is your daughter after all," the Doctor teased.

"See? You're practically initiating it."

"Calm down, Amy." The Time Lord's fingers danced over his wife's cheek, lovingly tucking a lock of the very ginger hair that had started it all behind her ear. "Whatever she has to put up with growing up, it won't matter a twit. You know why? Because she's going to be beautiful, and headstrong, and she won't care what people say about her. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Cowed, Amy fiddled with Jenna's feather-soft hair, the newborn's midnight-blue eyes slowly pulling her mother under her spell. "Right, I get it. Just be glad we won't be putting her through grade school. Those were the darkest days of my life. Well, partly because they thought I was mental, but that's beside the point."

"My fault; I'm afraid I ruined it for you."

Amy shrugged. "They weren't worth it anyhow. I think I came out better in the end."

The Doctor laid his head down on the pillow next to Amy's, the soft blue of his eyes meeting the willful green of hers to create the shades of the ocean that surrounded them. How was it that he, who was never short of words, who knew a myriad of languages both living and dead, some ancient and strange on the tongue, could not now find anything to say that summed up how he felt about this human woman? It would take centuries, every word beginning with every letter and hieroglyph and rune in every dictionary in the universe, to even begin to encompass it.

In situations such as this, however, sometimes something as simple as a kiss can describe what mere words cannot.


	25. Fish, Love, and the Doctor

**I'm gonna apologize ahead of time for this chapter being another short one. But I think after you read it you might understand why I wanted it on its own :)**

**I'm starting to think I'm going to have to break this story off and create another one, making this a trilogy. But I'll wait until it gets up past 30 chapters like the last one did, so don't worry.**

**Thanks for your continued reviewing. I'd think it would get tiring after a while lol, but it really does spur on my writing :)**

**Who's pumped for the Christmas episode? Michael Gambon guest-starring! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

***_deep breaths*_**

**Anyway...**

**Enjoy!**

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Captain Jack Harkness was not a man easily embarrassed. He'd lived long enough to realize that awkward situations always passed and were forgotten after a few decades. But for some reason—perhaps the ordeal with Jenna's birth had shaken him out of his comfort zone—he was feeling a mite uncomfortable at the moment. After the Doctor had come back for Jenna, River had said something about Ian needing a nap and had vanished suspiciously fast into the TARDIS, leaving Jack alone with Jenny. Lesidi and his daughters had also withdrawn, explaining they needed to inform the Atlantean Senate of the presence of Petramals.

"So." Jenny rubbed her arms just to have something to do, trying to look everywhere but into Jack's eyes. She was afraid her resolve would fall to pieces if she did.

"Yep." Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets. What could he talk about, besides blurting out his feelings for her? The weather was out of the question: leave it to fate that they'd be underwater the one time he got tongue-tied. "These are some…interesting fish," he conjured up at the last minute, doing a mental facepalm.

"Er, yeah. Very…colorful." Jenny edged imperceptibly closer. "Although that one—" she pointed at an undersized Bar Jack—ironically—that was swimming slowly around the pink coral spiraling up through the column—"looks a little lonely, don't you think?"

"Maybe a little. But look, he isn't anymore."

A Damselfish had suddenly appeared, swimming alongside the Bar Jack. Together, they darted in circles around the coral.

"It isn't fun being alone, is it?"

"Most definitely not." Jack knew they weren't talking about the fish anymore.

"Every living thing has some sort of companion, whether it's a friend or…mate. It's just how things are; how they were meant to be."

Jack wasn't exactly sure what happened after that. All he remembered was seeing Jenny's sage-green eyes a lot nearer than they should have been, and then he was kissing her, one arm encircling her petite waist, the other reaching up to weave his fingers into the base of her ponytail. Throwing caution to the winds, he closed his eyes, unable to recall experiencing a kiss quite this fulfilling throughout the course of his extensive lifetime.

"Amy's fine, she's just needs to…"

The Doctor stopped dead, his shocked gaze riveted on the couple, who pulled away as soon as they realized he was there. They hadn't been quick enough, however. The shock turned to anger.

"JACK HARKNESS!"

"Dad!" Jenny's cheeks were flushed. "We were just—"

"Yes, I know perfectly well what you were 'just'. And it's not going to happen again, you understand?" The Doctor was furious, more so than Jenny had ever seen him.

"But Dad—"

"No buts, Jenny! Do you have any clue who he really is? No, you don't! You can't possibly know what he's done, all the people he's been with, how many lives he's ruined." The Doctor advanced on Jack, but Jenny stood in his way.

"There are a lot of people with pasts they aren't proud of. How is he so very different from you?" Jenny demanded, remembering the conversation they'd had in the cell on Messaline about the Time War.

For a moment, the anger in the Doctor's eyes sputtered. But only for a moment. "That is entirely beside the point. I am your father, Jenny, and you're going to do what I say."

"May I remind you once more that I am not a child? Anyway, it's not like I could help falling in love with Jack—"

"Wait, you're in love in me?" Jack interrupted suddenly.

"Haven't you figured that out yet?" Jenny replied with a grin.

"I'm not going to let you throw your life away on him, Jenny!"

"I have quite a bit of time left in my life to do with what I please, thank you. You have Amy, Dad. What have I got?"

"Listen, Doct—sir. I apologize for causing any trouble. I do love your daughter—I can't deny that—but I'll...respect your wishes," Jack spoke up, the gentleman in him making an appearance.

"No, Jack. He has no control over our lives," Jenny said stubbornly, her jaw set. For a minute or two she and her father stared at each other, the same obstinate expression reflected in each other's faces.

"No, but I do have say on who travels in the TARDIS and who doesn't!" the Doctor threatened.

"Oi! Everyone just SHUT UP!"

The room went silent. Amy was standing in the doorway to the medical ward, her white knuckles gripping the frame and her legs trembling unsteadily beneath her. All the color had drained from her face, but there was no mistaking the determination blazing in her eyes.

"Amy! What do you _think_ you're doing?" The Doctor's willfulness faded, replaced by alarm and concern. He started for her, but her hand flew out to stop him.

"The question is, what do ya think you're doing?" Amy asked, leaning her entire body against the doorframe for support while still trying to look intimidating. It was something only she could pull off. "Yeah, she's your daughter and you love her, I got that. But you can't protect her from everything for the rest of her life."

"But Amy—"

"Don't 'but Amy' me, Doctor! You listen and you listen good: without Jack, I could be dead right now. So if he's out of the TARDIS, then so am I. Understand?"

The Doctor didn't speak. He knew full and well that Amy meant what she said, even if it appeared she was in no condition to act on it. Getting out of bed, after all, should have been impossible for her. On the other hand, he didn't want Jenny's heart broken, especially not by a scoundrel like Jack. Yet what could he really do about it?

"I. Said. Do. You. Under. Stand." Amy's tone was dangerous now.

The Doctor nodded, beaten.

"Good." Having sapped the remainder of her strength, Amy collapsed at last. The Doctor was there in a flash, snatching her up in his arms and cradling her to his chest. "Don't you dare try that again," he mumbled tenderly into her hair. Before returning her to her bed, he spun on Jack and Jenny. "But just because you're allowed on board doesn't mean I won't be watching you very carefully, Jack Harkness. If you do _anything_ to hurt my daughter, anything at all—"

"Then I'll be out on my ear. Understood, sir," Jack said seriously.

"And don't you forget it." The Doctor glared at him one last time before heading through the doorway.

"You know, I have this strange feeling he's not too fond of me," Jack commented jokingly.

"Now where'd you get a crazy idea like that?" Jenny answered with a chuckle. Inwardly she was more relieved than she could express, mentally reminding herself to thank Amy later.

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**Note: I actually looked up fish native to the Bahamas to create the scene with Jack and Jenny, and I couldn't believe my luck that one was actually named 'Bar Jack'. Gotta love it when things work out like that :)**


	26. The Atlantean Senate

"I can't help being concerned, Amy."

"Course you can't. But she's like you, that Jenny. She would have done what she wanted anyway, with or without your consent. Isn't it better this way?"

"I suppose so." The Doctor sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He was sitting by Amy's bed in the medical ward while Jenna nursed for the first time, fretting over his eldest daughter's choice in men. "But still, it's _Jack_. Of all the men she could have fancied, it had to be _him_."

"Well, it could be worse. She coulda ended up with someone like you."

"Oi, watch it." The Doctor looked at her, intending to narrow his eyes at her disapprovingly, but found himself softening instead. Amy's maternal glow had intensified once more, and he hadn't realized someone could look so angelic with pillow-mussed hair until that moment. She was stroking her fingers through the child's orange locks, a perpetual smile painted on her face. Watching them reminded the Doctor just how close a shave with death they'd both had.

"Amy, do you think that perhaps…I mean, we have one of each now, maybe we should…"

"What, not have any more kids?" The smile faded, and her sharp gaze connected with his. It was funny how quickly the pains of childbirth could be forgotten when one was nurturing the result. "Why would you want that?"

"Well, I mean, maybe not entirely. We could just wait, you know, until Ian and Jenna are grown up a bit. This life we're living—it's dangerous, Amelia. Bringing more little ones into it…it just doesn't seem like too brilliant of an idea. And don't forget you almost died this time. I can't…lose anyone else. I can't lose you."

Amy stretched out the hand that wasn't cradling Jenna and squeezed his hand.

"Hey there. It's alright," she soothed, her nimble fingers dancing over his palm. "I'm not goin' anywhere just yet. After all, I have to keep an eye on you; make sure you don't turn the kids into delinquents or kill Jack or whatever." The Doctor grinned. "But I suppose we could be more careful from now on, for a bit. At the rate we're going Time Lords aren't going to be so near extinction anymore."

The Doctor chuckled and stood up, bending to plant a lingering kiss on his wife's lips. His fingers ghosted over the pale skin exposed by her halfway-unbuttoned shirt—one of the Doctor's; she preferred it to the hospital gown—leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. His hand settled lightly on Jenna's soft head. "Be back soon as I can," he promised. "I've got some things to discuss with that amphibious lot out there."

Amy nodded, reaching up to kiss him one last time before he withdrew.

Without the Doctor in the room, the girl was left to mull over her own thoughts. She knew he had been right about the danger involved in their lifestyle, but there wasn't much she could do about it unless she took leave of the TARDIS entirely. Even the idea made her heart ache; the Doctor and this life they'd created together was her world now. Walking away from it would be like a slow death.

Just then Jenna bit down hard, pulling Amy out of her reverie. She inhaled sharply, amazed at how much toothless gums could hurt.

"Oi! There's no need to be greedy, missy. You'll get your fair share," She reprimanded, knowing full and well it wouldn't make a difference. "Gonna be as bad as your brother, aren't ya?"

Thankfully, however, the newborn's eyelids soon began to droop as her stomach filled. When at last they were shut tight, her mother removed her and buttoned up her shirt. She sunk back into the pillows, succumbing to her fatigue without a fight, and slipped immediately into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Lesidi was waiting for the Doctor in the outer room. As they followed a walkway that was sealed by domed glass and led towards heart of the city, the Doctor decided it was time to have his questions answered.

"So, Lesidi. What are your people when they're at home?"

"We are Atlanteans, residents of this ancient and great city of Atlantis," Lesidi replied, a sense of pride in his words.

"Hate to break it to you mate, but your name's already been taken," the Doctor told him with an amused expression.

"Then it has been stolen from us. We have been here since the Earth was new."

"And where exactly is it that you came from?"

"Nowhere. And, in essence, everywhere. Our ancestors were nomads, traveling the stars in a great ship that was constantly in need of repair. And although they could survive in many climates, they craved water. So naturally when they came upon Earth, with its abundance of oceans and rivers, they chose to stay and make it their home."

"Naturally. Now, how do the Petramals fit into that history?"

Lesidi's eyes hardened. "They used to hunt us, back when we were a weaker people. But we grew stronger and fought them off one day, and they never returned. Until now."

"But they didn't give any indication of knowing you were here. I believe they find humans a bit tastier. No offense."

"Well they will know now. The human natives around these parts are our friends; they hide the whereabouts of Atlantis from those who seek it, and in return we trade pearls and technology and knowledge with them. If the Petramals are hunting them, we shall not stand for it. They will have to be destroyed."

"Whoa, there. I agree what they're doing isn't right, but shouldn't you try a little diplomacy first? See if you can reason with them?"

Lesidi looked at the Doctor as if he was out of his mind. "Why should we? Besides, Petramals cannot be reasoned with."

"Never hurts to try."

"I'm afraid my people won't be quite as sympathetic, Doctor."

They'd reached the end of their journey. A door slid open for them, admitting them into a foyer that was occupied by an Atlantean woman sitting at what looked like a secretary's desk.

"This is the man who witnessed the presence of the Petramals. He wishes to speak with the Senate concerning it," Lesidi informed her.

The woman nodded and pressed a button on her desk. The coral door behind her, which was flanked by two guards bearing what looked like harpoon guns, slid open in similar fashion to the previous one. Beyond was a spacious hexagonal chamber with a limestone floor and limestone benches rising arena-style against the walls. They faced a podium, also carved from limestone, in which stood a brown-skinned man who looked to be a few years older than Lesidi, dressed in embroidered midnight-blue robes and wearing a somber expression on his squarish face. Men in robes of a paler blue were seated on the benches, and upon Lesidi and the Doctor's entrance, both them and the Atlantean on the podium turned to observe them. Anyone else may have been intimidated, but never the Doctor.

"Good morning, everyone! Or is it the afternoon? One can never tell underwater," the Doctor greeted loudly, striding to the center of the chamber.

"You are known as the Doctor?" The man on the podium said, neglecting to answer him.

"That's me. And who might you be?" The Doctor inquired.

"Chief Senator Molatodi."

The Doctor had to choke back a snort, figuring such a reaction would not be well received by the grave Chief Senator. "Pleasure, Chief Senator Mola—ahem—todi. Blimey that's a mouthful." When the Chief Senator frowned at him disapprovingly, he quickly added, "Brilliant city you've got here. The architecture is marvelous."

"Thank you, Doctor," Molatodi said, his pride softening his harsh tone. "Now, you claim to have seen the Petramals first hand?"

At the mention of their sworn enemy, the senators began speaking in heated tones amongst themselves, cursing the rock people vehemently.

"Yes, I have. And they weren't the most hospitable of creatures, let me tell you. Didn't even offer me a cuppa. Well actually, I believe I _was_ the cuppa."

"The Petramals are a barbaric race. They cannot be permitted to live," Molatodi announced. His statement was met with nods and exclamations of agreement from the circle of senators.

"A bit harsh, don't you think? I mean, what if there were a few who were vegetarians, who didn't agree with their fellows regarding their diet choices? What then?"

Molatodi laughed. "Even if that were so, it's not worth the risk. We must annihilate them before they annihilate us."

"Everyone deserves a chance."

"They are guilty of the blood of our ancestors. There are no chances left."

"I'm warning you, Senator." The Doctor's cordial manner vanished, his opposition clear in his stance and serious expression. "If you're not willing to negotiate with the Petramals first, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to stop you."

Muttering erupted around the circle directly following this authoritative declaration. Molatodi's lips tightened in a thin white line.

"There is no place for Petramal sympathizers here, Doctor. Guards!"

The Chief Senator's shout brought the two men with the harpoon guns into the chamber.

"Take this foreign dissenter to the Hold. And don't let him trick you into going somewhere else first," Molatodi commanded.

"No, hang on. You can't do this, Molatodi," the Doctor argued as the guards grabbed him roughly by the arms.

"My apologies, Doctor, but I must. For the greater cause." There was nothing in the Senator's face that even hinted at remorse.

"And who is the cause meant to aid? Your hate or the welfare of your people?" The Doctor shouted, his eyes flitting over the other senators, not all of whom looked entirely convinced by their leader. "Think about it. Think about what might happen to your families!"

"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. Guards, you're going to need to send some men to intercept his family. They may try to create trouble as well," Molatodi ordered.

The Doctor blanched for a moment before lapsing into fury. "Don't you dare lay a finger on my wife," he snapped.

"Sir, the woman is indeed unwell. She recently gave birth and just barely survived it," Lesidi spoke up, the same uncertainty worn by a selection of the senators on his face.

"Then tend to her, Healer. But the others must be rounded up and removed to the Hold," said Molatodi unwaveringly.

And with that the Doctor was dragged away, the door slamming in place behind him and his soon-to-be jailers.

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**Molatodi is a Basotho (a people who inhabit Lesotho, a monarchy in southern Africa) name meaning 'one who denies everything'. It fit too perfectly, and is also quite an amusing thing to say aloud over and over :)**

**Thanks for reading, please review! :)  
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	27. Always a Way Out

**So I'm going to be in Indiana for the next three days for a bible study all my friends go to every year, so I thought I'd put this up really quick before I left. Hope you guys don't die while I'm gone lol.**

**Who saw the Christmas episode? It was AWESOME! Especially the coming soon preview of series 6 afterwards. Nice to see they'll be coming to America :)**

**Also, I want to know how Matt Smith can talk for so long without taking a breath. That's talent right there.**

**Enjoy, please review!  
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"This is just brilliant, Doctor. Absolutely fantastic. Making the Atlanteans mad and getting us all thrown into prison—best plan you've ever had," River said sarcastically.

She, the Doctor, Jack, and Jenny were sitting in the Hold, the Atlantean version of a jail. It was a badly-lit square building sitting directly on the bottom of the ocean, the floor, ceiling, and walls made of coral so tightly compounded together it was hard as diamonds. There were no windows, and the only door was heavily guarded on the other side and impervious to the sonic screwdriver. There was no way out.

"It's not all that bad," the Doctor replied, trying to sound optimistic. Inwardly, that was far from the truth. He'd been taken straight to the Hold without even a glimpse of Amy, Ian, or Jenna. The children had been placed in the care of Mahree and Nia, and Lesidi had promised to tend to Amy, but that didn't keep him from worrying about them.

"_Not all that bad_? Have you looked around lately? Jack, help me out here," River prodded.

"Unfortunately, I'm no longer in a position to do that," Jack told her, knowing he'd lose whatever little standing he had with the Doctor regarding Jenny if he contradicted him.

River rolled her eyes and sat down on a long wooden bench, which was the only piece of furniture besides a few sets of bunks bolted into the far wall.

"Calm down, River. I'm working on it," the Doctor said, the gears of his mind turning a mile a minute. _There's always a way out_, he reminded himself, doing his best to push away the doubts threatening to overtake him.

Suddenly, from somewhere above them in the great underwater city, an ominous booming reminiscent of drums filled the silence, pounding out a quick, consistent beat.

"Dad, what's that?" Jenny asked, staring up at the ceiling as if she wished she had the ability to see through it.

The Doctor hesitated a moment before answering. "War drums. They're preparing an attack," he informed, the dread in his words impossible to miss.

* * *

Amy awoke, gasping, from a bad dream. In it she had been drowning in the ocean, water filling her lungs as she screamed for the Doctor. But he hadn't come—couldn't come, because someone had clamped him in irons and locked him in a dank dungeon at the very bottom of the Earth.

As the room and Jenna sleeping contentedly on her chest began to come into focus, revealing that this fate had all been in her head, she waited for the anxiety squeezing her heart to dissipate. It didn't.

"Doctor?"

The call went unanswered, and the anxiety increased. Something was wrong.

"Doctor! DOCTOR!" She shouted, sitting up. Jenna took a deep, shuddering breath but didn't wake.

Just then, Lesidi entered the ward, a troubled expression on his face. He sat on the edge of Amy's bed and took her hand gently in his.

"He's not here, Miss Pond. I'm sorry," the man admitted.

"Then where is he? He promised he'd be back soon."

Lesidi's eyes softened, and he looked like a father trying to figure out the best way to comfort his daughter without her getting upset. "I'm afraid the Senate wasn't very—receptive—towards his views of reasoning with the Petramals. They had him removed to the Atlantean prison, for the time being."

"No." The vivid image from Amy's dream of the Doctor being dragged, struggling, away from her returned. "Does River—I mean, the others who arrived with him—do they know?"

"They're with him. The Senate—or rather, the Chief Senator—felt that they might try to interfere. Your son is with my daughters, however, so don't fret about that."

"Lesidi." Amy covered his calloused hand with hers pleadingly. "You have to do something. Please."

Lesidi shook his head. "When the Senate's mind is made up, it isn't easily turned. And the Hold is too well guarded. I'm sorry, dear one."

"Right."

Amy carefully laid Jenna on the bed beside her. Then, with a look of determination, she tossed aside the covers and swung her legs over the side.

Lesidi's froglike eyes widened in alarm. "Hold on, where are you going?" He demanded, barring her way.

"Well since no one else feels like helping him, it's up to me."

"But you can't!"

"Yeah? Watch me."

Fueled by her stubbornness, Amy managed to steady herself on her feet and heft the still-sleeping Jenna over her shoulder. She was halfway to the door when Lesidi had to grab her under the arms to keep her from falling. He tried to pull her back towards to bed, but she resisted.

"Alright! Alright, I'll help you!" The healer told her as a last resort, puffing for breath. He was at a loss to explain how willpower could give a petite, convalescing girl such strength.

"Thank you." Amy allowed Lesidi to lead her back to the bed and sit her down on the edge of it. Jenna had awoken and was gazing up at her accusingly, as if cross with her for disturbing her sleep so unnecessarily.

"So what am I to do? There's no way out of this situation involving your husband," Lesidi reminded her.

"There's always a way out," Amy stated firmly. "Now, I need you to get me to the TARD—er, the big blue box thing."

"How is that going to help?"

"It's our way in."

"But it's just a box."

"Don't worry. Everyone thinks that at first."

Lesidi shook his head. "Fine then. Mahree! Nia! One of you, come here!"

A few seconds later, the twin that was not holding Ian—Nia—appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Father?"

"I need you to watch the newborn for a moment," the healer said.

Nia, who like her sister had a soft spot for children, didn't bother to ask why. Obediently she took Jenna from her mother, cooing the child into silence when she tried to protest. She then left the ward, singing the newborn into a sort of hypnosis.

"You sure you still want to do this?" Lesidi asked.

"Absolutely," Amy answered.

Reluctantly, Lesidi wrapped one arm around her frame and lifted her to her feet. With his help, Amy made it across the ward and into the waiting room where the TARDIS was standing innocently in the corner. Hoping it wasn't locked, she reached for the door handle and was relieved when it opened for her.

"Gracious…"

"Told ya." Amy grinned, watching Lesidi's face transform as he was confronted by the interior of the TARDIS.

"But it's…"

"Impossible, unbelievable, bigger on the inside, amazing? Just about, yeah."

"But how? I mean, not even Atlantean engineers could craft something like this, and that's saying something. What is this thing?"

"Well firstly it's mine and the Doctor's home. And secondly, it's a two-dimensional spaceship kind of thing that travels through time as well as space. Any more questions?"

"I think that's all I want to know," Lesidi replied, overwhelmed.

"Okay then." Having reached the console platform, Amy let go of Lesidi and pulled herself up the steps using the railing for support. As soon as she was close enough to the console she took a few steps and let herself fall on it.

"Miss Pond, what do you intend to do?" Lesidi asked, watching the ginger concernedly.

Amy smiled wanly, although her eyes were alight with apprehension and excitement. "What does it look like? I'm going to fly a TARDIS, of course."

"You're going to _fly_ this thing?"

"Why not? The Doctor can do it. River can do it, and she's not even a full Time Lady. Why can't I?"

"Time Lady?" Lesidi, who believed himself to be a man of learning, was thoroughly confused.

"Er, yeah. The Time Lords were the people who built these types of ships. Long story." Amy studied at the controls before her. She'd seen the Doctor operate them enough times, helped River memorize—quite against her will, or so she'd tell anyone who asked—what each odd lever and button did, but right now everything was fuzzy. She closed her eyes. "Alright TARDIS, old girl. I'm gonna need a little help with this. The Doctor's locked in a jail cell somewhere. Help me find him," she begged. Lesidi was on the verge of asking her what in the ocean she was doing, talking to a ship, but thought better of it.

A moment passed, and then another. And then, quite unexpectedly, the TARDIS hummed warmly, the sound thrumming in Amy's very bones. Her eyes snapped open and, with a newfound confidence, her hands flew deftly over the controls.

The floor began to lurch as if in an earthquake, and Lesidi shouted in surprise as he was knocked off his feet. Amy latched onto the console and let out a whoop of sheer joy.

"Hold on!" She yelled excitedly.

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**Out of curiosity, has everyone on fanfiction net abandoned their stories besides me? Cause I haven't gotten an update from any of the ones I have on story alert in ages. Kind of sad.**


	28. Rescues and a Glowing Pink Fish

**Totally random, but I just noticed Ian and Nia are the same name if you rearrange the letters. Irrelevant and unplanned, yet interesting.**

**Sorry about how long it took me to put this up. That three day trip in Indiana really threw me off. On the plus side, the Bible study was amazing and completely worth it.  
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**Hope you enjoy, please review :)**

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The Doctor had nothing. Zero. Zilch. They'd been in the Hold for hours and he hadn't come up with one clever idea to get them out of it. This time he didn't even have the option of allowing Jenny to flirt with the guards; the door that separated them was solid metal, not bars through which a weapon—in this case, a harpoon gun—could be nicked. Not even running his hands through his hair until it was a right mess helped him.

And then, all of a sudden, the Time Lord heard a sound, faint yet growing louder in crescendo, that made him wonder just how active his imagination was.

Yet it wasn't his imagination. There it was, the TARDIS—_his_ TARDIS—materializing before his very eyes, fading in and out of existence until a final booming noise announced its landing.

"Doctor, who's flying the TARDIS?" Jack asked, perplexed.

"No clue," the Doctor replied in equal bewilderment. He stood up and moved slowly towards his ship, uncertain of who he would find inside.

He didn't have to wait quite that long, however, for the door swung open before he could reach it.

"What, you thought you were just going to get away with getting hauled off and not coming back?" Amy looked far from well, but that didn't affect the wide grin on her face.

"Amy! What are you…did you _fly_ the TARDIS?"

"No, it just up and left by itself. Of course I did."

The Doctor couldn't seem to get over his shock. "You flew the _TARDIS._"

"Quite sure we've already established that."

"Amy, you're supposed to be in bed!"

"Well I'm sorry I decided to come save you from the nasty aliens; you seemed a bit too preoccupied to do it yourself."

"My apologies, Doctor. I did try to stop her," Lesidi said, suddenly appearing behind her.

"It's alright, Lesidi. Once she makes up her mind you really have no chance," the Doctor said wryly. Amy had barely taken a step when he enfolded her in his embrace, pressing his face into her soft, fiery hair. "Still, Amelia. You have no idea how dangerous what you did was. You could have flown into a black hole, or ended up millions of years out of this time, or worse," he reprimanded in her ear.

"Okay, got it. Now do you want to get outa here or not?"

The Doctor shook his head in resignation. "Come along, Pond," he said, picking her up and carrying her into the TARDIS. River, Jack, and Jenny followed, grateful to be leaving the prison.

Once inside, the Doctor took Amy straight to their room and tucked her into bed. "Now you are going to stay here and actually _sleep_, you understand? If I have to go dig up some ropes and tie you to the bed I will."

"I don't think I'd mind that too much," Amy said mischievously, locking her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.

"Oi, enough of that," the Doctor said after a while, having not put too much effort into wriggling out of her hold.

"I know. You've got a war to stop, people to save, et cetera. Leavin' little old me behind as usual."

The Doctor frowned. He rested his forehead against hers. "You're just as important to me as they are, Amelia Pond. No, more. Which is why I need you to get your rest. Don't worry; I'll come back. Have I ever failed you?"

"Not technically," Amy with a small smile.

The Doctor chuckled and pecked the tip of her nose. "Sleep well," he said softly before turning off the lamp beside the bed and exiting, plunging the room into complete darkness as the door snapped shut.

A soft glow caught Amy's attention, and she flipped over to find a fish—Barnaby the Second, which the Doctor had hastily bought for her after becoming aware of her distress over the passing of its predecessor—swimming contentedly in its bowl, luminescent with a neon pink light that seemed to originate from its belly.

Amy grinned, making up her mind that an I-told-you-there-was-a-reason-those-new-fish-flakes-were-cheaper lecture was due the Doctor in the near future, and closed her eyes, promptly falling asleep. One thing was certain; incandescent fish made excellent night lights.

* * *

"Right." The Doctor entered the console room rubbing his hands together. "We're going to have to move fast; she's down for now but there's no telling how long that will last. River, Jack, Jenny, I could use some assistance with the controls. It would involve a lot less running about on my part."

"What about me, Doctor?" Lesidi questioned.

The Doctor looked at the healer around the central column. "Er...just stay where you are. Just right there is perfect."

"What I don't understand is how Amy managed to fly this thing on her own," Jenny remarked, scanning all the controls from the typewriter to the ones that appeared to be ketchup and mustard dispensers.

"She shouldn't have been able to. I believe the old girl must have helped her out," the Doctor mused, patting the console. A hum reverberated momentarily under his hand. "Not like she ever does that for me, but whatever. Now, everyone ready? Oh hold on; not quite like that."

The Doctor moved around the console and steered River in between Jack and Jenny, not quite accidentally jostling Jack a little roughly in the process. "There, that's better. Much more conducive to the equilibrium-ness and…other stuff. Off we go then."

River smirked but said nothing, turning her attention instead to the stabilizers and sliding them forward. Although she was secretly all for Jack and Jenny being together, she knew better than to say anything about it in the presence of a defensive father.

The rotor began its bobbing motion within the central column; the only noise in the otherwise silent console room. To the Doctor it was still an odd thing, not being shaken up as if in a blender, but remembering that Amy was dead to the world in their room he ignored the feeling of peculiarity.

They returned to Lesidi's quarters to collect Ian and Jenna, just in case the Atlanteans discovered the Doctor's escape and endeavored to hold them hostage. Despite the fact that the TARDIS wasn't the safest place for them considering what they were setting out to do, the Doctor reasoned they really didn't have a better option.

"There's my sweet little girl. Did you miss me?" The Time Lord murmured as Jenna was laid in his arms. The newborn stared up at him pertly, and he had to admit that she differed from her brother in many respects. For one thing she was more in the habit of gazing enchantingly at the person holding her, rather than gnawing incessantly at anything she could get her mouth on. He knew well enough, however, not to mistake this for docility; there was the smallest, almost imperceptible gleam in her eye that suggested a spirited troublemaker in the making. The trait was simply far too dominant to remain undeveloped for much longer. Regardless he smiled and stroked her velvet cheek, wrapped around her tiny finger already.

"Well I suppose this is goodbye," Lesidi remarked, waking him out of the spell.

"Honestly I was hoping you'd come along, Lesidi, to help out with the Petramals. If we're going to negotiate with them, we'll need an Atlantean there as a representative. What do you say?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm nothing but a humble healer, Doctor, and certainly not a diplomat. I couldn't possibly find the words to reason with them."

"Nonsense. Anything's possible if you bother to take the risk. For instance, I knew this bloke once who prevented an entire tribe of hostile Zsa Zsas from attacking his village with a single pitchfork. Then again it may have had something to do with them never having seeing a pitchfork before and believing it had magical powers. Not to mention they surmised being able to wield it made him a god and ended up capturing him an immortalizing him—quite literally—in a cast of lead for their temple…you know, on second thought, this may have been a poor choice of illustration. Just be yourself and you'll do fine."

The Doctor's tale didn't seem to have a very positive effect on Lesidi, but he did his best to quickly mask his unease. "For the good of my people I will, Doctor. It is my duty."

"That's the spirit." The Doctor handed Jenna to River and returned to the console, his fingers twiddling excitedly in middair. "Now, who's ready to go vegetarian-Petramal-hunting?"


	29. Beryl of Upperend

**Sorry about the wait for this. Lots going on right now.**

**Hope you like it, please review :)**

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Beryl had watched the odd nonhuman and his companions escape from the cliff city with a sense of relief, as well as a touch of curiosity. For years her people had hunted Earth's weaker, native race without mercy, and their prey had never gotten away before. She herself detested the idea of consuming a creature with such a similar speech pattern and advanced way of life. Her family had thought something was terribly wrong with her when they first discovered this peculiarity, but nothing they did succeeded in stamping it out of her.

As she grew older Beryl found others who felt the same as she did, males and females alike. When most of the population went to feast, it was they who stayed behind and ate what their own hunters—men who worked for them willingly without obedience collars, paid for their services in precious jewels that only Petramals were skillful at mining—brought back for them. Generally this was animals and edible vegetation from the island, but also included foods eaten by humans from the surrounding island nations. It was for this that Beryl and those like her were persecuted and forced to segregate, moving to the opposite end of the underground complex that was closer to daylight. Not that they minded; daylight didn't burn their rigid skin like it did to those who ate human meat.

Although the rest of the Petramals didn't dare admit it, Beryl's way of life was more profitable. The segregated section became like its own separate city. Called Upperend by all merely due to its location, it boasted a fourth of the population and healthier citizens. Although Petramals were made to live amongst the rocks, complete lack of sunlight led to conditions and, in some cases, diseases, which could not be remedied so long as their diet consisted of humans. Despite this, those who lived in Lowerend kept stubbornly to their ways.

Even after the alien man had disappeared into the jungle, Beryl couldn't stop thinking about him, wondering how he had outsmarted Onyx, the Petramal chieftain. She half hoped he'd come back, perhaps make some kind of difference in Lowerend, and half hoped he wouldn't. Alien or not, neither he nor the humans with him would be capable of standing up to the more aggressive ones of her kind. She hoped that if he did return, at least, the woman with the fire hair and the little boy who smelled of both of them would not be with him. She had noted the human girl's encumbered gait, seen the swell of the child that was within her, and knew at once there would be gnashing of teeth in Lowerend later that evening when they learned what they had missed out on. Beryl remembered well, with a shiver, all the young she'd seen her kinfolk swallow in her lifetime. They were considered something of a delicacy to many. Of all the Petramals numerous faults, this one had bothered Beryl the most. She had a certain soft spot for the young, whether it be of her own race or another, and to prey on a creature so defenseless was an outrage in her eyes.

"Señorita Beryl."

Beryl's preoccupied thoughts were disrupted when she realized that Carlos, the Upperend hunt captain, was standing in the doorway of her home. It registered a little belatedly that he had been knocking for some time before entering.

"What is it, Carlos?" Beryl asked. The Upperend hunters didn't live within the complex like those in Lowerend, only coming inside to deliver food supplies and receive payment. There were a few, however, without homes elsewhere who chose to live with the Upperenders. Carlos was one of them, and during his stay there he and Beryl had become good friends.

"We came across a small group of people wandering in the jungle and brought them here before the Lowerenders could discover their presence. One of the men is requesting to speak to with one of your kind," said Carlos.

Beryl straightened. "Was he wearing a strange strip of cloth knotted around his neck?" She questioned.

"A bowtie, you mean? Yes, in fact, he was." Carlos looked mildly surprised.

"Thank you, Carlos. You may bring them all here."

Carlos nodded and left the room. A moment later, the odd nonhuman from the previous day bounded in, followed by the man she had last seen wielding two guns and the curly-headed woman who was now armed with a blaster on her hip. Beryl breathed easier when she noticed that neither the mother nor the children she had been so concerned about had accompanied them. The petite girl with the ponytail who had something of the alien about her was also absent.

"Hello there! I'm the Doctor. And you would be?" The Doctor said right away, completely unfazed by Beryl's appearance. True, female Petramals were slightly less imposing than the males he had met previously; they were shorter and more slender, and often wore coverings fastened by a band of leather on their bare heads, occasionally adorned with precious or semiprecious stones. Beryl, in particular, was quite comely for a rock-like being, the planes of her face looking as if they had been chiseled by a fine craftsman. In contrast to the residents of Lowerend, she wore dove-gray robes, and gems in varying shades of blue sparkled in rows at the ends of the band that was tied around her forehead. Even her eyes were different; more like sapphires than the deep red that Onyx bore.

"Beryl." The Petramal woman regarded the Doctor with equal curiosity. "I saw you running from the Lowerend hunters a mere day ago. Tell me, why is it that you've returned to a horrid place such as this?"

"Politics, unfortunately. Now tell me, Beryl—love the name by the way, very fitting—what is Lowerend?"

"This entire cliffside is a city, carved into the rock and divided into two sections, Lowerend and Upperend. The former you visited last you were here; it is where those of my race who prey on humankind live. Upperend is where you are now."

"And you have hunters as well, but I've noticed they're collarless and seem to come and go as they please. Also, there are windows here, windows without shutters or curtains to obstruct the sun. How is that now?"

"Petramals who eat the animals and produce of the earth are not burned by sunlight. It is something our cousins in Lowerend refuse to accept."

"I told you there'd be vegetarians," the Doctor said triumphantly to River out of the corner of his mouth. "And how many of these Upperenders are there?" He asked.

"Eight hundred and ninety six last census," Beryl replied.

The Doctor whistled. "A lot better than I expected," he remarked. "Listen, Beryl. I'm afraid you and your people are in danger. Lesidi, would you mind coming in here now?"

As Lesidi entered the room, Beryl let out a low hiss. Apparently the Petramals had not forgotten their enmity with the Atlanteans either.

Lesidi looked as if he was having second thoughts about agreeing to come along. It took some effort to turn the frown etched into his face into a line of indifference. "My people settled only a few leagues from here centuries ago, and they have just recently become aware of your presence. They are immobilizing to attack as we speak," the healer told her.

"Then why have you come?" Beryl questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"There are many of my people, I know, who do not entirely support the idea of war. However, believing your kind is entirely heartless, they have gone along with it. I entreat you to convince them of their error."

Beryl considered this. The hatred between Petramal and Atlantean was one that had been harbored by their ancestors, but it was difficult to let old habits die. In truth, she knew the decision of war was not exactly a rash one; her kind had killed many more of his preceding the battle that had resulted in the Petramals' retreat. "I admit I don't agree with what my people have done, but what you ask is an impossible thing. The rift of loathing between our races runs to deep to be reconciled."

"Oh come now, Beryl. Nothing is truly impossible," the Doctor interjected. "You and the rest of the Upperenders have come this far; why not make an even bigger ripple in the pond, one that will change the future of your people for the better?"

Beryl shook her head, still not convinced. "It will not work."

The Doctor changed tactics. "The Atlanteans are like your kind in more ways than you think. Both of your ancestors made homes on this planet that was entirely foreign to them, managed to conceal your presence all these years, built mighty civilizations, lived and died, felt pain and heartache and joy and laughter, and raised children that have done the same."

Upon hearing 'children', something lit in Beryl's eyes. The change did not escape the Doctor's notice.

"Think of it, Beryl. Think of all the children that will die if this war progresses too far."

Beryl did think of it. She thought of the human young who had perished at the hands of her people, of the little boy and the baby whose life had barely begun, both of which she had worked out belonged to this man, of the Petramal offspring with their clear, innocent eyes that did not yet know what their parents were capable of. It was hard to forget that there was more to the Atlanteans than the image of a militarized foe her mind so easily conjured every time she heard or thought of them.

In that instant, Beryl made her decision. She only hoped, for the sake of all the lives involved, it was the right one.

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"Sir. They've escaped."

Distracted by the battle strategy he was reviewing with his generals, Chief Senator Molatodi barely heard what the guard was telling him. "Who's escaped?" He asked, not looking up from where he was calculating the approximate distance to the Petramal island with a compass.

"The man who calls himself 'the Doctor', and his companions."

The compass fell with a thump onto the table. The Chief Senator strode angrily over to the guard.

"And who is responsible for this?" He demanded.

"No—no one, sir." The guard, remembering his training, forced himself to hold his ground. "The door was bolted shut and guarded, and there's no other way out. It's like they disappeared into thin air."

"Disappeared indeed." Molatodi stroked his chin contemplatively. "The girl who was unwell; his wife. Bring her to me."

The guard cleared his throat. "Well you see, sir, we just came from the Ward. She's gone, along with the children and Lesidi the healer."

Molatodi looked ready breathe fire. He picked up a letter opener from his desk and hurled it at the wall, where it remained embedded, quivering ominously.

"Send a search party of your best men after him. Comb every island and reef in between here and Puerto Rico. I want that bloody dissident found!"

"Yes sir. Right away, sir." The guard saluted and exited the room.

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**Beryl is a gem that can be any color, but is recognized mostly as a sea-green stone. Onyx is a black stone, often with alternating bands of color. They also make good names for rock people :)**


	30. Intervention

**Don't you just love it when you don't have a life _until_ it's time to update your story?**

**Yeah.**

**Anyway, hope you like this chapter, please review :)**

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The Doctor and Beryl stood on the beach, the foam of the ocean curling around their feet, waiting. Behind them were Lesidi, Jack, and River, surrounded on all sides by the entire population of Upperend. To the relief of the Doctor and Jack both, Jenny was on babysitting and Amy-watching duty in the TARDIS, which was safely parked on an uninhabited island a mile or so south of their current location. Neither of them wanted her there in case something went wrong. Which was very likely, considering the chance they were taking.

The Doctor was studying Beryl. The Petramal stood straight and proud, her robes and headcloth billowing in the wind like the dismal clouds that were scudding past over their heads, but there was a glint of uncertainty in her wide blue eyes. "Nervous?" He questioned.

"Of course not."

"You know, it's alright if you are. No one expects you to stand up to an entire army and not be even just a smidge scared."

Beryl's gaze slid to focus on him. "Do you ever get nervous, Doctor?"

"Oh, frequently. Daily basis, I'd say. In fact, if I were you, I'd probably be running in the opposite direction right about now. Which…probably isn't a good thing to tell you."

"It isn't an emotion Petramals are supposed to portray, much less feel."

"Well then, their loss. Some of the bravest people in the world get scared every once and a while, but it doesn't matter. You know why? Because it doesn't make them a coward, and it doesn't stop them. It's our actions that define us, not our fears."

"You are wiser than you appear, Doctor."

"Yeah, well, you know, that's what happens when you get landed with a babyface, I suppose."

There was a brief pause in conversation, the waves crashing on the sand and the cry of the birds wheeling overhead the only sounds. Then Beryl said, "You're a father, are you not?"

"Yes, I am. Currently of three. What about you? Any rock rascals wreaking havoc in your home?"

"Not yet, unfortunately. But when there are some…I don't want them growing up in this environment my ancestors created. I want them to know the value of life. Every life; human, Petramal, and Atlantean all the same."

"Don't look now, Beryl, but I do believe you're the wise one now." The Doctor smiled.

Beryl grinned in response and then returned her gaze to the restless ocean before them.

They didn't have to wait much longer. The surface of the water broke, but instead of the army they had been expecting, Mahree and Nia waded up onto the beach, followed by a collection of Atlantean men and women, both young and old. None of them bore weapons.

"My daughters! What are you doing here?" Lesidi ran to embrace them. He had not had very high expectations of seeing them again.

"We came to help, father. We knew you wouldn't be able to convince the soldiers on your own," Mahree replied.

"And as you can see, we brought along a few people who agreed with us," Nia chipped in.

'A few' was an understatement. No less than sixty Atlanteans stood on the beach, eying the Upperenders apprehensively. The look did not go unreturned.

"Right, now _this_ is what I call an intervention!" The Doctor announced, rubbing his hands together.

"You're sure this will work, Doctor?" Jack asked, his hands aching for a weapon of some sort. The Doctor had been adamantly against it.

"Most definitely not," the Time Lord answered, the grin on his face unwavering. He looked at his watch, which—even if it had even been working properly—would not have been able to tell him anything relevant to the situation anyway. "Honestly, these blokes are the most unpunctual aliens I've ever met."

As if in answer to his remark, the Atlantic began to roil. Catapult-like contraptions broke the surface of the water, manned by Atlanteans in full battle gear. Bearing what looked like submachine versions of the harpoon gun, they marched with a purpose towards the protestors.

"What is this?"

Chief Senator Molatodi stomped to the forefront of his battalion of soldiers, looking rather put off indeed.

"Hullo again, Molatodi! Might I say you are looking very…wet this afternoon?" The Doctor greeted, unable to come up with a more flattering compliment.

"You!" The Chief Senator jabbed a finger at the Doctor. "How did you escape my Hold? It is impenetratable!"

"Obviously you haven't met my wife. If there's one thing you should know, Mr. Chief, it's that _nothing_, not even a so-called 'impenetrable' prison, can stand in Amelia Pond's way when she wants something. I must tell you, though, it's a real pickle most of the time. Well, actually, not a real pickle, like the stuff you put on sandwiches, but…you get the idea."

Molatodi didn't look any more relieved. In fact, his frown deepened, if that was even possible. "Why do you insist on being a thorn in my side, Doctor? This is not your fight."

"No, but I happen to have this bad habit of getting involved in things when innocent lives are at stake. It's a very difficult one to break, mind you."

"You might want to reconsider that, Doctor. My men and I have no intention of surrendering today."

"Well that's cricket, because we don't need you to surrender."

Molatodi was looking considerably bewildered. He wasn't the only one.

"Is this some kind of trick?" The Chief Senator demanded.

"Why would it be a trick? Look around, Molatodi. How many weapons do you see?" The Doctor asked.

Molatodi did, his eyes flickering over the empty hands of Atlantean and Petramal alike. The confusion in his expression increased.

"That's right; none at all. We've come to join you, not fight you."

"And why would you do that?"

"Because I want to see this war ended."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Doctor, but the end you seek is not the one that will come to pass. Now stand aside."

"I can't do that."

Molatodi and the Doctor stared each other down, both holding their ground. Hatred was boiling in Molatodi's gaze, and his finger strayed towards the trigger on his harpoon gun.

"Chief Senator!"

The shout came from one of Molatodi's men. The Atlantean turned to find the soldier pointing and looked in the direction he was gesturing.

It seemed that the Atlanteans' attack was no longer a secret. The brunt of Lowerend was marching out to meet them, bearing weapons that looked like spears with narrow, cylindrical blasters mounted where spearheads would be normally. Even from a distance it was clear they had no intention of peaceable communication.

"Well blimey, that's much more convenient," The Doctor commented, watching the Petramal advance.

When the Lowerenders reached the beach, they organized into a line, their chief standing front and center. Disgust was etched into every plane of his body.

"You are trespassing on Petramal land, vile Atlantean! Remove yourself and your loathsome people at once," Onyx hissed.

"Not one for compliments, is he?" The Doctor mused aloud.

"It is you who is trespassing. This area was claimed in the name of Atlantis long ago. You have no right to it, or to the humans who live in it." Molatodi shot back.

"You are mistaken. This island has belonged to my ancestors for eons. I'm warning you; leave now or suffer the consequences."

"There's an easy enough way to settle this." Molatodi raised his harpoon gun, his finger tightening on the trigger. That's when the Doctor stepped in the way, followed by the others. Jack, River, the Atlanteans, and the Upperenders rushed along the aperture between the two armies, blocking their aim.

Soldiers on both sides suddenly looked much less resolute than they had been mere seconds before. If the Atlanteans fired, they'd hit both their own people and two humans, a breed they had been taught to protect all of their lives. And even though the Lowerenders shunned their Upperend cousins, a Petramal was a Petramal. Their national pride was too strong.

The Chief Senator, however, had no such qualms. "What are you, cowards or Atlanteans? Fire at will!" He shouted at his men.

"Think about it, citizens of Atlantis. You can fight if you want, turn the sands and waters of this island crimson. Many would die today; friends, relations, countrymen. Wives will lose husbands, mothers sons, children fathers." The Doctor paused to let his words sink in. "Perhaps you may want to consider, just for one moment, the bloodshed that could be avoided if you just sat down and talked with them, see if you can come to an agreement."

"My brothers, please. We've all been raised the same, lived the same as those who came before us, and accepted it as law. But I thought ours was a progressive race. Why not break the traditions of our elders, if it means a new and brighter future for our children?" Beryl's voice rang clear and true over the throng. Several of the Petramals seemed to be taking her words to heart, for their grip on their spears was slackening. The Doctor smiled encouragingly at her.

"Enough!"

Molatodi was past furious; he was raving. Without warning he took aim and fired. The hook at the end of his gun, which had razor-sharp blades and spun faster than a propeller, shot straight for its target: the Doctor's chest.

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**Before anyone does anything hasty, I would like to remind you that killing the author will end the story. Just saying.**

**Lol I promise I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.  
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	31. Parleys and a Rather Miffed River

**See, told ya I'd update. Now put the gun down and walk away.**

**Thank you.**

**Reviews welcome :)**

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Before the hook had even left the barrel of the harpoon gun, Jack sprang into action. He threw himself in front of the Doctor, the blades slicing into his chest. Blood spurted from the wound as he fell to the ground, landing flat on his back, his eyes closed and his head lulling to the side.

The shocked hush of the crowd was as palpable as a thick slab of stone. River had her hands clasped over her mouth, and both the Atlanteans—including the soldiers—and a surprising majority of the Petramals were looking at Molatodi with contempt.

"He wasn't even causing you harm, and you shot him," one of the Atlantean soldiers, a general by the looks of it, spoke up.

Molatodi seemed unconcerned. "They are hindering our victory!"

"But he's human." This came from Beryl, softly-spoken yet to-the-point.

"It's in the Atlantean Creed. We aren't permitted to attack humans unless provoked. And you just killed him," said another general, angrily. It could be seen that dissention was spreading through the ranks.

"I don't care about the Creed! If one human has to die in the process of purging this world our enemies, then so be it!" Molatodi thundered, turning his gun on the general. Before he had a chance to pull the trigger, however, the soldiers seized him, bereaving him of the weapon and dragging him away. Crying insubordination the entire way, his men hauled him back beneath the depths of the ocean, where his words were quickly muffled. The remainder of the army turned to face the Petramals, their own weapons hanging loose at their sides.

"Perhaps negotiation would not be such a bad idea," one of the generals remarked; the Second in Command. The Doctor recognized him from the panel of senators.

Onyx, however, did not seem convinced. Hard-headedness, not surprisingly, was a very common trait within his race. "I see no reason to negotiate with creatures of the water," he hissed.

The chief's words were followed by mutterings from his people.

"But it is getting more difficult to scavenge for human meat, sir, and we are far too established here to move on easily. Lowerend will starve this winter if we don't find some sort of alternative," a Petramal hissed.

"We will survive."

"Onyx, please." Beryl approached him, taking his hands in hers pleadingly. "When we were kids you used to tell me about how you wanted to make a difference in our society, create a name for yourself that our historians would record in stone for millennia to come. That will never happen if you continue to live this way."

Regardless, Onyx looked as if he had no intention of changing his mind. That was, until his eyes met Beryl's, and something shifted. The Petramal leader suddenly lost a fraction of his solidity.

"You remember that?" Onyx himself had all but forgotten about his childhood dreams. He and Beryl had been rather close when they were younger, but at some point his determination to become the Petramal chief ascended their friendship, and they had fallen apart. It was shortly after that Beryl had left Lowerend altogether.

"Of course I do," Beryl replied. "I used to admire you for it. But what you've become isn't what you were destined to be."

Onyx looked at the general who had suggested the negotiations, skepticism clear in his eyes. He had a duty to take care of his people, and he knew all too well of the troubles fast approaching them. An alliance with his kind's oldest enemy was the last thing he wanted to be a part of, but it was admittedly a viable solution. "I suppose a short discussion wouldn't hurt," he finally announced, albeit stiffly.

Beryl beamed as arrangements were made between the senator general and the Petramal leader for a parley, which was set to convene in a few hours time. She exchanged looks with the Doctor, and saw the pride shining clearly in his eyes. Only River didn't share their enthusiasm. She was kneeling over Jack, checking for signs of life.

"River, don't," the Doctor told her calmly.

"We've got to try," River replied, probing fruitlessly for a pulse.

"No, really. Just wait for it," said the Doctor.

River didn't have any other choice. She released his wrist and sat back on her heels. Right on cue, Jack inhaled sharply, his chest convulsing as his still heart resumed its beating. His eyes snapped open, and he glanced around at those who were watching him.

"That is the absolute _last_ time I save your life, Doctor. Getting to be a real pain; literally," Jack said roughly, sitting up as if he hadn't been certifiably dead just a moment before.

River's eyes were round as saucers. "But how…?"  
"Yeah, guess I forgot to mention a few things," Jack answered wryly. He pulled the hook from his chest as if it was nothing more than a needle he had stuck in his thumb and tossed it aside. The blood around the wound had dried, and the wound itself seemed to be healing, at an even more accelerated rate than any injury the Doctor had received.

"How do you forget to mention that?" River was quite obviously miffed. "I thought you were dead!"

"My deepest apologies, Doctor Song. It won't happen again."

"It better not, _Captain_ Harkness." It was never a good thing when River used formalities and articulation: she was still disgruntled.

The Doctor figured this was as good of an opportunity as ever to interrupt.

"Well then, it looks like our work here is done. Come along, River. Jack."

Jack reached out a hand, and River rolled her eyes and reluctantly helped him up. He straightened his bloodstained shirt, brushing off the grains of sand.

"Thank you so much for your help, Doctor." Beryl was still there, having at last gotten over her shock brought on by Jack's miraculous recovery. "If all goes well, a hopeful future awaits my people. And the Atlanteans."

The Doctor smiled. "Off you go, then. Onyx needs someone to keep an eye on him," he urged her. Beryl grinned, thanking him, Jack and River one last time before hurrying after the rocklike chief.

"Do you think it will last?" River asked, watching the alien woman's broad back as she moved farther and farther away.

"Good heavens, I hope so. Because I am _not_ coming back here to break up another squabble like that again." The Doctor studied the horizon. Almost like it had been waiting for this particular moment, a ray of sun broke through the fortress of clouds, bravely casting its light over the moody ocean. It seemed to be as good a sign as any.

"Oh I don't know. It was kind of fun," Jack said lightly.

"Jack, your definition of fun worries me," River commented, crossing her arms against the slight chill of the ocean breeze that had decided to play in her curls. They started off down the beach, towards the moored Atlantean craft that would take them to the TARDIS.

"And your lack of fun worries me. Lighten up a little, River."

This ignited a bickering session, which lasted the length of the journey back. The Doctor stuffed his hands in his pockets and said nothing—besides knowing the perils of getting involved in an argument between people with volatile personalities such as theirs, this was the best entertainment he'd gotten all day.

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**So recently I copied and pasted every chapter from Fountain of Youth and this story back into Microsoft Word, and found it is currently sitting at a total of 171 pages. That's, like, almost a novel. Good grief.**

**Also, a note. After the next chapter, which is chapter 32, I will be cutting off Onwards and creating a third part, making this a trilogy. Before anyone freaks out, I'll make sure I give you sufficient warning. So calm down.**

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	32. The Sort Of End, Cue Theme Music

**Okay guys, this is the LAST CHAPTER of Onwards. I will be starting the third part of this trilogy very soon, so either author alert or keep checking back on my profile. Thanks for staying with me thus far; we've come a long way since the TARDIS dropped in on 16th century Florida :)**

**Reviews always welcome.**

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It was Jenny who met them at the door, her lack of miniature charges indicating it was naptime. The instant she saw the bloodstains on Jack's shirt, she froze, her expression distressed.

"Jack! What in the world happened?" The girl rushed over to him, her fingertips ghosting carefully over the wound.

"It was nothing, really. Just a little harpoon hook; nothing to worry about."

"_Just_ a harpoon hook? Jack, are you crazy?"

"Jen, you know I can't die."

"Yes, but what if, one of these days, something goes wrong? I don't...want to lose you." Jenny bit her lip, her watery eyes giving away her concern.

"You won't, I promise. I swear I'll never leave you." Jack pulled her into a comforting embrace, his fingers rubbing circles into her back.

"So where's Amy?" The Doctor interrupted, accidentally-on-purpose bumping his daughter hard enough upon entering that she stumbled out of Jack's arms.

"Sleeping."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. "You can't be serious."

"I am. She's been out like a light since you left; I've been checking on her every ten minutes. She really did need the rest after everything that happened."

"So let me get this straight. She hasn't stepped one foot outside the TARDIS since we three left."

"That's right. Or out of bed, for that matter."

The Doctor couldn't quite believe it without seeing it. He took the steps that led to their bedroom two at a time and raced down the hallway. When he reached the door, he opened it a crack and peered inside.

Just as Jenny had said, Amy was lying motionless on the bed, her fingers curled around the sheets. A wavy lock of hair was draped over her face, and, approaching her, the Doctor brushed it aside to reveal a contented smile on her crimson lips and a complexion that was slowly getting its color back. The gesture roused her, and her eyes opened, liquid-green and more alluring than ever. She yawned.

"Hallo again," she greeted, her voice an octave lower due to fatigue but no less beautiful to the Doctor's ears.

"Sleep well, Pond?" The Doctor asked, smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand, caressing it with his thumbs.

"Like a rock," Amy answered, breathing deeply. "Speaking of rocks, how'd it go?"

"Quite well, actually. They agreed to a parley. Love saying that word, by the way; parley. Very French."

"Is everyone alright?"

"Of course they are. Well, there was a bit of an incident with Jack jumping in front of a harpoon gun to save me, but he's right as rain now."

"Someone shot at you?" Amy's entire manner transformed. She was looking just as perturbed as Jenny had about Jack's wound.

"Yes, well, the Atlantean Chief Senator's a little trigger-happy, unfortunately. Or should I say, ex-Chief Senator. But Jack's fine."

"Oh I know Jack's fine; he already told me about the whole not-dying bit. But what if he hadn't gotten in the way? What about you?"

"I'd figure something out."

"Would you have…regenerated?"

The Doctor hesitated. "Possibly, depending on where the blades hit. Would it bother you?"

Amy focused on his hands, which were still enclosing hers. "A little, maybe. I've gotten pretty familiar with this particular body, if you know what I mean." Her fingers danced down his leg, tracing patterns in the material. "But as long as you were still the Doctor, I think I could get over it. But would you…lose interest in me?"

"Never, and don't you forget that." The Doctor didn't think even a change of personality could override the love he felt for Amelia Jessica Pond. She wasn't in the least like apples or yoghurt, or bacon, or even beans or bread and butter. It was like she was a part of his very essence, as permanent as his twin hearts or his brain.

"Although it would be kinda strange if you regenerated into a much older-looking bloke. So try to keep this face long as you can, got it?"

The Doctor chuckled. "I'll do my best," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her.

They were interrupted suddenly by River bursting into the room. Considering she usually knocked first—she'd learned her lesson well after the 'incident'; some things could never be unseen—this was very unusual indeed.

"River? Is something wrong?" The Doctor asked, noting the woman's flustered behavior.

"It's Jenna. She's not breathing."

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For a split second, the Doctor and Amy looked at each other, horror reflecting in their eyes, their hearts beating furiously. The next second, they were both on their feet.

"No, Amy. I'll take care of this," the Doctor said, trying to ease her back down onto the bed.

"Oh you can bloody well believe I'm comin'. That's my daughter!" Amy shot back, wrenching herself free with the help of strength derived from maternal instinct. She pushed past him and rushed after River, leaving him no choice but to follow.

They found Jenna laid out on the changing table in the nursery, looking far too much like a corpse. Her long-lashed eyelids were closed, revealing the spidery red veins that fanned out over them, and her skin was pasty. Jenny was trying to revive her, alternating between half-breath resuscitation and chest compressions using only two fingers. It didn't appear to be working. The chaos woke Ian, who seemed to have had it in mind to throw the best tantrum he could until Jack scooped him up.

"What happened?" The Doctor demanded.

"I don't know. She was fine fifteen minutes ago. I just came to check on her again and she was like this," Jenny responded, her eyes full of fear. Amy choked back a sob.

The Doctor took charge immediately. Jenny moved aside, and he bent over and pressed an ear to the child's chest, listening. Her hearts were beating still, albeit weakly, the beats growing further and further apart.

"Okay, we're going to have to move her to the medic bay," the Doctor said, masking the panic in his voice. He picked up Jenna and put her over his shoulder. His eyes met Amy's, and he saw the tears welling up in them. She was swaying slightly, the color she had only just gained slipping away little by little. This couldn't have been good for her.

"Jack, I'm going to need your help with Amy," the Doctor announced, tilting his head towards her.

Jack nodded, transferring Ian into River's waiting arms and starting for Amy.

"No. No, I need to be with her. I _have_ to be with her!" Amy was borderline hysterical, her nails cutting into her husband's arm. Her eyes pleaded with his.

"I'm sorry, Amelia, but you're in no condition to deal with this. I promise she'll be fine."

"No! Please!" Amy clung to him, but Jack wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back. She fought against him, tears pouring down her face, until the remainder of her strength dwindled at last and she slumped in his arms, unconscious.

Knowing he had wasted enough time already, the Doctor sprinted off in the direction of the medic bay, holding Jenna tightly against him.

"Poor Amy. She's been through enough as it is," River commented solemnly as Jack picked up the immobile ginger and carried her back to bed.

"I hope Jenna makes it. I don't think either of them could handle it if she…" Jenny left her sentence unfinished, and it hung in the air, imbuing a sense of dread worse than if she'd come out and said what was on both their minds.

The hours that followed were agonizing. The door to the medic bay remained shut, and still River, Jack and Jenny waited on tenterhooks for any sort of update regarding the newborn's health. They didn't speak, as if they were afraid saying anything at all would seal Jenna's death.

Meanwhile, Amy slept. Her slumber was not a pleasant one, however; her brow was furrowed, and she muttered nonsensical words at random. Her cheeks had become flushed, blotched by tear tracks. Concerned for her health, Jenny kept a vigil over her, laying damp towels over her forehead to cool it.

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Within the walls of the medic bay, the Doctor rummaged through every cabinet that housed the medical stores, leaving a mess in his wake. He was looking for an antidote; the one thing that would restore his daughter to her full health. At the moment she was lying in an incubator of sorts, an oxygen tube in her nose. He had discovered the cause of her unnatural sleep: a small, red bug bite on her back, left by some sort of tropical mosquito. The Doctor had run diagnostics and discovered the mosquito had been carrying a rare form of malaria, one that would have caused immediate death if Jenna had not been part Time Lord. Regardless, she was unable to breathe on her own.

"Blast!"

There was a tinkling noise as an empty bottle, thrown in frustration, collided with the wall and shattered. The Doctor sank onto the gurney, face in his hands. That vial had been his last hope, the medicine that would fix everything. Without the liquid it had once held, his and Amy's second child would die.

The Doctor's grief was suddenly interrupted by a low yet firm knock on the door, and without waiting for an invitation, River entered.

"So what's wrong with her?" She asked tentatively.

"Rare form of malaria." The Doctor had to all but choke the words out.

"Is it incurable?"

"No. It's gone, though. Every last drop."

River didn't need to question what he meant. Her eyes fell upon the pieces of the vial scattered across the floor. She crouched down and, using her long red fingernail tips to sort through the glass, extracted the label that had encircled the vial.

"Hemoglobin Sirenis. What's that?" River asked, reading the ingredient information on the label.

The Doctor's head shot up. "Did you say Hemoglobin Sirenis?"

"Yes. Now are you going to tell me what it is, or do I have to go find a medical dictionary?"

The Doctor whooped, taking River by surprise as he hugged her. Without answering, he bolted for the door, but River cut him off.

"Doctor! Tell me!" She demanded.

"Two words, River, and two words only. Siren blood."

And with that, the Doctor whipped around her, racing against the clock for the console room.

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**Dun Dun Dun!**

**Note- the parley thing was a nod to something Captain Jack Sparrow said in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Not sure which one. But it was funny.**

**I would like to state that if anyone gets any _ideas_, I have hired a bodyguard on loan from the Italian mafia specially trained to ward off cliffhanger-haters with guns and sharp pointy sticks. You have been warned.**

**Oi, that means you too, person with the nunchucks.**

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**Part 3 coming soon.**

**Thanks for reading!  
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